Determinatives don't represent sounds. The meanings they imply help eliminate confusion by putting the writings in proper context. These special characters clarify a statement by carrying a distinct meaning. The appearance of a determinative put the writing in context based on its meaning.

Remember the puzzle?

It has several possible meanings:

Eye Heart U

I Heart Ewe

I Love You

We could eliminate confusion by adding a determinative.

This symbol is usually seen around Valentine's Day. It is associated with Cupid, the Roman god of love. By shooting someone with his arrow, Cupid caused them to fall in love. Use of this symbol implies that the statement relates to matters of love and emotion, and effectively makes "I Love You" the only choice.

Here are some examples of determinatives:

HIEROGLYPH	REPRESENTS	MEANING			HIEROGLYPH	REPRESENTS	MEANING
	moisture from sky	rain, dew, storm				papyrus scroll	writing, teach, to know
	star	star, to teach				sun	sun, day, time
	scribes tools	scribe, to write				beer jug	beer, be drunk, tribute
	papyrus stem	green, youth, prosperity				cobra	goddess, queen
	windpipe & heart	goodness, beauty				sandal strap	life