In ancient Egypt what was the system of writing called

You might be surprised to learn that there was more than one. The stock answer would be hieroglyphics, but they were used by priests mostly and not by ordinary Egyptians for their daily activities. It’s possible that they were more widely known during the earlier days of their development. In later dynasties, even the priests had forgotten most of the hieroglypics and how to read them. But there was at least one ‘cursive’ script (similar to modern longhand writing) that was used for purposes of general business and communication. The situation was not unlike the current understanding of church Latin. You can easily find examples of it, but it is more difficult to find people who know and use it.