Ideograms and Pictograms

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 Image result for ideograms

        Something which immediately confused me once I’d heard of its distinction was the difference between ideograms and pictograms. Upon further review, it seems the difference is simpler and more straightforward than I’d first assumed.

To begin, pictograms represent objects or images in a simplified way. These can be symbols, illustrations, or otherwise simply literal interpretations of a tangible item which exists in the physical world.

The more complicated of the two, an ideogram represents a concept which does not necessarily exist in the physical world. It displays a concept, such as “no”, “turn”, or “park”. Some ideograms include a pictogram, but this rule does not apply in reverse, for an ideogram to a pictogram. I believe this has to do with the nature of an ideogram: if a sign should read “no dogs allowed”, it might include an image of a dog with a red cross over it.

The ideogram, in my opinion, is the older of the two, having served as code for ancient Sumerian written texts since time immemorial. Even so, it could also be said that the pictogram, depicting the world around us, predates writing by several thousand years, as seen in the famous cave paintings of France, dating back into 20,000 BC.

In the end, these symbols go hand in hand, though their definitions may confuse some. So long as one keeps in mind the names--ideo for idea, picto for image--they’ll never mix them up.

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