pictographs
Images representing words
Pictographs are pictures or symbols representing words, ideas, or objects—the earliest form of written communication.
Ancient cave paintings and Egyptian hieroglyphics are pictographs.
The term also applies to modern statistical graphics where small images represent quantities: The pictograph showed each icon representing 100 voters.
Charts using pictographs make data visually intuitive but can distort scale.
Symbolic picture-based writing
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
- ideogramsSymbols representing ideas directly
- glyphsCarved symbolic figures
- logogramsSymbols representing words
symbols · characters · script · inscriptions · petroglyphs · notation · signs · marks
Prehistoric artwork on stone
- LascauxPaleolithic painted cavern
- AltamiraSpanish cave with paintings
- rock artImages on natural stone
- petroglyphsCarvings on natural stone
aboriginal · prehistoric · ochre · charcoal · handprints · megaliths · artifacts · anthropology
Digital pictograph for messaging
- iconsRepresentative small images
- signagePosted public displays
- wayfindingNavigating through physical spaces
- symbolsMarks conveying meaning
universal · nonverbal · visual language · infographics · international · accessibility · warnings · instructions
Given artistic treatment
- representationalDepicting recognizable subjects
- symbolicRepresenting through signs
- minimalistOne favoring bare essentials
- abstractCondensed version of text
graphic design · illustration · motifs · patterns · decorative · folk art · textile · pottery
hieroglyphics
Symbolic picture-based writing
- cuneiformStylus-impressed ancient script
- ideogramsSymbols representing ideas directly
- glyphsCarved symbolic figures
logograms · symbols · characters · script · inscriptions · petroglyphs · notation · signs · marks · runes
cave paintings
Prehistoric artwork on stone
petroglyphs · aboriginal · prehistoric · ochre · charcoal · handprints · megaliths · artifacts · anthropology · archaeology
emoji
Digital pictograph for messaging
- iconsRepresentative small images
- signagePosted public displays
- wayfindingNavigating through physical spaces
symbols · universal · nonverbal · visual language · infographics · international · accessibility · warnings · instructions · airports
stylized
Given artistic treatment
- representationalDepicting recognizable subjects
- symbolicRepresenting through signs
- minimalistOne favoring bare essentials
abstract · graphic design · illustration · motifs · patterns · decorative · folk art · textile · pottery · murals
emoji
Digital pictograph for messaging
- emoticonsKeyboard-character facial expressions
- iconsRepresentative small images
- stickersAdhesive-backed paper images
avatars · graphics · interface · keyboard · messaging · apps · GIFs · reactions · social media · digital communication
- Indigenous Heritageindigenous knowledge, ancestral knowledge, ancestral wisdom, oral traditions, creation stories
- ancient communicationsmoke signal, hieroglyphs, carrier pigeon, pictograms, courier
- communication systemsalphabet, sign language, Braille, Morse code, hieroglyphics
- symbolssymbols, runes, symbol, asterisks, national symbol
- visual symbolspictograms, symbols, glyphs, ideograms, logograms
- Ancient ChinaShang dynasty, Han dynasty, Confucius, Warring States period, oracle bones
pictographsalphabet
Language's letter system
phonograms · phonetic symbols · letters · syllabary · cuneiform
pictographsmathematical notation
Symbols representing numbers and operations
musical notation · binary code · Morse code · ASCII · binary