Nouns can be combined to convey a sense of possession. This is known in grammatical terms as the genitive. In Middle Egyptian, we distinguish between two types of genitive: direct and indirect.

Direct genitive

The direct genitive consists of putting two nouns after each other, with the first noun denoting the object that is being possessed and the second the object that possesses the first. Some examples will clarify this:
nb p.t lord of the heavens
imj-r mSa overseer of the troops (i.e. general)
 

Note that each noun keeps its gender and number and is not influenced by the gender or number of the other noun.

If the noun indicating the "owner" refers to gods or to kings, it is written before the first noun, even though grammatically it should come after. This is because, in the Ancient Egyptian mindset, anything related to the divine and to kingship, deserved respect. In transcription, we respect the grammatical order. The following examples demonstrate this principle:
Hw.t nTr house of god
Hm nTr servant (of) god
sA imn son (of) Amun
sA nsw son (of the) king
 

Note that the signis used as an abbreviation for nsw.

Indirect genitive

In the direct genitive, there is no word that links the two nouns together. The relationship between the two nouns is implicit. In the indirect genitive, the first noun (which still denotes the object that is being possessed) is separated from the second by a word, which follows the gender and number of the first noun.

masculin feminin singular n n.t dual (rare) n.wj n.tj plural n.w n.(w)t

This word is translated as of and makes the relationship between the two nouns explicit. Some examples will clarify the indirect genitive:
wr n pwn.t the great one of Punt
Hm.t n.t wr n pwn.t the wife of the great one of Punt

Note, however, that even in Middle Egyptian, there was a tendency to favour the use of the masculine singular, regardless of the gender and number of the first noun.

- Combining Nouns -