Pictogram << PIHK tuh gram >>, also called pictograph, is a simplified picture used for communication. There are two kinds of pictograms: those that represent objects, such as a drawing of a crescent shape to represent the moon, and those that represent ideas, such as a drawing of a child with a book to represent the idea of “student.” Many ancient peoples conveyed messages by pictograms. In certain cultures, pictography (creating pictograms) eventually developed into writing. Today, pictograms are widely used in such locations as airports, where people of many languages gather who might not be able to read signs posted in the local language.
See also Aztec (Language); Indigenous peoples of the Americas (Writing).
