Pharaoh

(𓉐𓉻 pr-ˁˁ)
“Great House”

You may have heard people say, “Don’t call them Pharaohs! It’s not accurate!”

And while that sounds scholarly, it’s really a half-truth. The word Pharaoh is indeed rooted in authentic Ancient Egyptian language: it simply evolved in meaning over time, and later took on the form we know today.

“Pharaoh” is the modern, Greek-derived form of the original Ancient Egyptian term 𓉐𓉻 (pr-ˁˁ), pronounced “per-ah” (or “pair-ah”)

The original Egyptian phrase was 𓉐𓉻 (pr-ˁˁ), pronounced “per-ah” (like pair-ah). It literally means “Great House”: much as we might say the Crown or the Throne to refer to royal authority today.

In the Old and Middle Kingdoms, this phrase referred to the palace itself, not the ruler. But by the 18th Dynasty (c. 1400 B.C.), during the reigns of kings such as Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, the term began to be used as a reverent way to refer to the king himself, as in:

“The Great House commands…” meaning The King has commanded.

It was spoken respectfully, always in the third person, and later accompanied by the blessing formula “life, prosperity, health” (ˁnḫ, wḏꜣ, snb):

“Pharaoh, life, prosperity, health, says…”

By the 19th Dynasty, under rulers such as Ramesses II, this style became common, yet Ancient Egyptians never attached the word to a king’s personal name. You would not find “Pharaoh Ramesses” in hieroglyphs; only “Pharaoh, life, prosperity, health.”

Centuries later, the word passed into Hebrew as Parʿōh and then Greek as Pharaō (Φαραώ); and from there into the tongues of the modern world. The p softened into an f sound, giving us “Pharaoh.”

So while it’s true that Ancient Egyptians didn’t use “Pharaoh” quite as we do today, it’s rather silly to discard it entirely. The term is both ancient and meaningful, it simply grew, like language always does.

In short:

Original Egyptian: pr-ˁˁ (per-ah) = “Great House” (the royal palace).

New Kingdom use: Reverent title for the king himself.

Later use (Biblical, Greek, modern): Generic word for the ruler of Egypt.

And so, when we speak of “Pharaoh Ramesses” or “Pharaoh Akhenaten,” we’re using a modern linguistic heir of an authentic Ancient Egyptian phrase; one that once resounded through palace halls and temple courtyards as “Per-ah di sedj”…“Pharaoh has spoken.”

Temple inscriptions from the reigns of Thutmose III, Amenhotep II, and their successors record officials speaking or writing on behalf of the ruler with phrases such as “Per-ah (Pharaoh), life, prosperity, health, commands…” (pr-ˁˁ ˁnḫ wḏꜣ snb di sedj). This was the Egyptian equivalent of saying “His Majesty has decreed.”

The expression also appears on scarabs, seals, and ostraca, particularly from the 18th to 19th Dynasties. Small faience scarabs sometimes bear the words “Pharaoh, life, prosperity, health, strong in truth,” while letters written by workmen from Deir el-Medina begin with that same formal blessing.

In the Ramesside period, the phrase is carved repeatedly across temple walls at Luxor, Abydos, Abu Simbel, and elsewhere, often within offering scenes or divine decrees, such as “Given by the king – Per-ah (Pharaoh), life, prosperity, health – an offering to Ra.”

The expression endured for centuries, remaining in use throughout the Late Period and even into the Ptolemaic age, where priests and scribes continued to include the shortened form “Per-ah (Pharaoh), l.p.h.” in hieroglyphic and hieratic texts. Much like “His Majesty” or “The Crown” in English, it became a set phrase of reverence, both blessing the ruler and acknowledging his divine office.

In short, there are countless authentic artefacts and inscriptions that preserve this exact phrase (from monumental reliefs to tiny seals) all testifying that “Per-ah (Pharaoh)Pharaoh, life, prosperity, health” was a real and living expression in Ancient Egypt, echoing through the corridors of temples and palaces as a greeting to the king himself.

Egyptian form: pr-ˁˁ (“per-ah”)
pr (per) = “house”
ˁˁ (ah) = “great”
Together: “Great House.”
This was the authentic Ancient Egyptian phrase, used in speech and writing to refer to the royal palace, and, from the 18th Dynasty onward, reverently to the king himself.

What were “Pharaohs” Actually Called?

When per-ˁˁ (“Pharaoh” or “Great House”) was used in an Ancient Egyptian sentence, it would appear as a formal title, often followed by the standard blessing “life, prosperity, health” (𓋹𓏏𓈙 𓏏𓍑𓀀 — ˁnḫ, wḏꜣ, snb). It would then be followed by the king’s throne name, not his birth name. They would never say “Pharaoh Tutankhamun” as we do today.

In life, Egypt’s kings were not called by their birth names, as we do today. Their “throne name” (chosen at coronation) was the sacred one used in official inscriptions and by the court.

For instance:

• Tutankhamun was his personal name (nomen), meaning “Living Image of Amun.”
  His throne name (prenomen) was Nebkheperure, meaning “Lord of the Manifestations of Re.”
  To his people, he would have been spoken of as “Pharaoh, life, prosperity, health, Nebkheperure.”

Likewise:

• Ramesses II’s throne name was Usermaatre-Setepenre (“The Ma’at of Ra is Powerful, Chosen of Ra”).
• Amenhotep III’s throne name was Nebmaatre (“The Lord of Truth is Ra”).

Each king had five royal names, known collectively as the Fivefold Titulary, linking him to the gods and his divine role on earth:

1. Horus name – his identity as the living falcon.
2. Two Ladies name – protector of Upper and Lower Egypt.
3. Golden Horus name – triumph and eternal power.
4. Throne name (prenomen) – his divine kingship.
5. Birth name (nomen) – his personal identity, usually preceded by “Son of Ra.”

Common people and officials would never address a king by name directly. Instead, they used reverent forms such as:

“His Majesty,” “The Lord of the Two Lands,” or “Pharaoh, Life, Prosperity, Health.”

So, while we call him Tutankhamun, his subjects knew him as “The Good God, Nebkheperure, beloved of Amun.” Yet, using the word Pharaoh is not wrong; it is simply the evolution of language and reverence.

When we speak the term today, we are invoking the modern heir of an ancient phrase, one that still carries the echo of golden halls, divine kingship, and the eternal “Great House” of Egypt.