What is the ancient Egyptian symbol for life?

The ankh is the ancient Egyptian symbol for life.

In hieroglyphic writing, the ankh represented the Egyptian word for “life” and the consonantal sequence Ꜥ-n-ḫ. It has a distinctive T-shaped body topped by a loop, leading to the modern nickname “key of life.” The sign could function as both a written character and a depicted object in religious art.

Egyptian deities frequently hold ankhs, sometimes presenting them to a pharaoh. In these scenes, the sign expresses divine power to sustain life, grant vitality, or restore the deceased in the afterlife. Artists could also use chains of ankhs to represent life-giving air or water during ritual scenes.

The ankh is not the same as the was or djed symbols. The was sign represented power or dominion, while the djed was associated with stability and the backbone of Osiris. Much later, Coptic Christians adapted a related looped form, the crux ansata, as a variation of the Christian cross.