أ

أ

See also: ا‎ [U+0627 ARABIC LETTER ALEF], ٵ‎ [U+0675 ARABIC LETTER HIGH HAMZA ALEF], اً‎, ٱ‎ [U+0671 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WASLA], آ‎ [U+0622 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH MADDA ABOVE], إ‎ [U+0625 ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH HAMZA BELOW], and ا-‎

أ U+0623, أ ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH HAMZA ABOVE Composition: ا [U+0627] + ◌ٔ [U+0654] ← آ [U+0622] Arabic ؤ → [U+0624]

ﺃ U+FE83, ﺃ ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH HAMZA ABOVE ISOLATED FORM ← ﺂ [U+FE82] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﺄ → [U+FE84]

ﺄ U+FE84, ﺄ ARABIC LETTER ALEF WITH HAMZA ABOVE FINAL FORM ← ﺃ [U+FE83] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﺅ → [U+FE85]

Arabic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔ/

Combined with fatha:أَ :

• IPA^(key): /ʔa/

Combined with damma:أُ :

• IPA^(key): /ʔu/

Letter

أ / ‍أ • (ʾ)

1. The first letter of the Arabic alphabet is the small hamza (ء‎) that sits on top of أ‎, and the tall column is its bearer. The composite letter is called أَلِف‎ (ʾalif) and the hamza represents a glottal stop (/ʔ/). (See also ا‎ (ا).) It is followed by ب‎ (b).

See also

• (Arabic script letters) ا‎ (ā), ب‎ (b), ت‎ (t), ث‎ (ṯ), ج‎ (j), ح‎ (ḥ), خ‎ (ḵ), د‎ (d), ذ‎ (ḏ), ر‎ (r), ز‎ (z), س‎ (s), ش‎ (š), ص‎ (ṣ), ض‎ (ḍ), ط‎ (ṭ), ظ‎ (ẓ), ع‎ (ʿ), غ‎ (ḡ), ف‎ (f), ق‎ (q), ك‎ (k), ل‎ (l), م‎ (m), ن‎ (n), ه‎ (h), و‎ (w), ي‎ (y)
• ا‎ (ا), إ‎ (ʾ)
• Wikipedia article on the Arabic alphabet
• Search en.wiktionary.org for articles beginning with: أ

Etymology 2

From former هَـ‎ (ha-), from Proto-Semitic *ha. Cognate to Hebrew הֲ־‎ (hă-).

Particle

أَ • (ʾa-)

1. introduces a positive yes-no question

   Synonym: هَل‎ (hal)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 96:9-12:

     ‏أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يَنْهَىٰ (9) عَبْدًا إِذَا صَلَّىٰ (10) أَرَأَيْتَ إِن كَانَ عَلَى الْهُدَىٰ (11) أَوْ أَمَرَ بِالتَّقْوَىٰ (12)‎‎

     ʾaraʾayta allaḏī yanhā (9) ʿabdan ʾiḏā ṣallā (10) ʾaraʾayta ʾin kāna ʿalā l-hudā (11) ʾaw ʾamara bi-t-taqwā (12)

     9 Have you seen the one who scolds 10 this worshipper when he prays? 11 You, have you looked at whether he is rightly guided, 12 or whether he preaches righteousness?

2. introduces a negative yes-no question
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 89:6-8:

     ‏أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ (6) إِرَمَ ذَاتِ الْعِمَادِ (7) الَّتِي لَمْ يُخْلَقْ مِثْلُهَا فِي الْبِلَادِ (8)‎‎

     ʾalam tara kayfa faʿala rabbuka biʿādin (6) ʾirama ḏāti l-ʿimādi (7) allatī lam yuḵlaq miṯluhā fī l-bilādi (8)

     6 Have you not seen what your Lord did to ʿĀd? 7 ʾIram, with its pillars, 8 the like of which had never been created before!

3. indicates an exclusive disjunction with أَمْ‎ (ʾam, “or”), as in alternative questions

   Synonym: (sometimes proscribed) هَل‎ (hal)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 21:109:

     ‏وَإِنْ أَدْرِي أَقَرِيبٌ أَم بَعِيدٌ مَّا تُوعَدُونَ‎

     wa-ʾin ʾadrī ʾa-qarībun ʾam baʿīdun mmā tūʿadūna

     I know not whether nigh or far is that which ye are promised.

4. indicates an inclusive disjunction with أَمْ‎ (ʾam, “or”) that denotes sameness, indistinguishability, unimportance, insignificance, or indifference
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 63:6:

     ‏سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَسْتَغْفَرْتَ لَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تَسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ لَن يَغْفِرَ ٱللّٰهُ لَهُمْ‎

     sawāʾun ʿalayhim ʾa-staḡfarta lahum ʾam lam tastaḡfir lahum lan yaḡfira llāhu lahum

     It is the same whether you pray for their forgiveness or not: Allah will not forgive them.

Usage notes

• Unlike هَلْ‎ (hal), أَ‎ (ʾa) precedes وَ‎ (wa), فَـ‎ (fa-), and ثُمَّ‎ (ṯumma):

  609–632 CE, Qur'an, 23:115:

  ‏أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ‎

  ʾa-fa-ḥasibtum ʾannamā ḵalaqnākum ʿabaṯan wa-ʾannakum ʾilaynā lā turjaʿūna

  Then did you think that We created you uselessly and that to Us you would not be returned?

Alternative forms

• آ‎ (ʾā) – used before اَلْ‎ (al-)

References

• Tropper, Josef (2003), “Sekundäres wortanlautendes Alif im Arabischen”, in Kogan, Leonid, editor, Studia Semitica (Orientalia: Papers of the Oriental Institute; III), Moscow, →ISBN, page 200

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Kashmiri

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /amaːlɨ/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /ə/

Letter

أ • (ạ) (Devanagari ॳ‎, Devanagari ॲ‎)

1. a vowel of Kashmiri.

Forms

The vowel أ in its initial form isأ , middle form ٔ and final form ٔ

See also

• Previous vowel: آ‎ (ā)
• Next vowel : ٲ‎ (ạ̄)
• Vowel sign : ٔ‎ (ạ)

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Khowar

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /həmza alif/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /a/

Letter

أ (hamzā ālif)

1. The second other alif letter of the Khowar abjad.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form
أ	ـأ

See also

• Previous letter: ﺁ‎
• Next letter: ب‎

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Kyrgyz

Letter

أ

1. The first letter of the Kyrgyz alphabet.

See also

• (Arabic script letters) ا‎ (ا), ب‎ (ب), پ‎ (پ), ﻥ‎ (ﻥ), ﺕ‎ (ﺕ), ﺝ‎ (ﺝ), ﭺ‎ (ﭺ), ﺡ‎ (ﺡ), ﻑ‎ (ﻑ), ﻕ‎ (ﻕ), ﻉ‎ (ﻉ), ك‎ (ك), گ‎ (گ), ڭ‎ (ڭ), ﻝ‎ (ﻝ), ﻡ‎ (ﻡ), و‎ (و), ۅ‎ (ۅ), ۉ‎ (ۉ), ﯗ‎ (ﯗ), ﯞ‎ (ﯞ), ﺱ‎ (ﺱ), ﺵ‎ (ﺵ), ﺩ‎ (ﺩ), ﺭ‎ (ﺭ), ﺯ‎ (ﺯ), ﻩ‎ (ﻩ), ﻯ‎ (ﻯ), ﯗﺀ‎, ﻰﺋ‎, ﻲ‎ (ﻲ), ﻯ‎ (ﻯ), ء‎ (ء), يۋ‎, ﻻ‎ (ﻻ),

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Malay

Letter

أ

1. The first letter of the malay alphabet, written in the arabic script.

See also

• (Arabic script letters) حروف‎; ا‎,‎ ب‎,‎ ت‎,‎ ث‎,‎ ج‎,‎ چ‎,‎ ح‎,‎ خ‎,‎ د‎,‎ ذ‎,‎ ر‎,‎ ز‎,‎ س‎,‎ ش‎,‎ ص‎,‎ ض‎,‎ ط‎,‎ ظ‎,‎ ع‎,‎ غ‎,‎ ڠ‎,‎ ف‎,‎ ڤ‎,‎ ق‎,‎ ک‎,‎ ݢ‎,‎ ل‎,‎ م‎,‎ ن‎,‎ و‎,‎ ۏ‎,‎ ه‎,‎ ء‎,‎ ي‎,‎ ى‎,‎ ڽ‎ ^[edit]

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Persian

Letter

أ • (alef)

1. The first letter of the Persian alphabet.

See also

• (Arabic script letters) حروف; ا‎, ب‎, پ‎, ت‎, ث‎, ج‎, چ‎, ح‎, خ‎, د‎, ذ‎, ر‎, ز‎, ژ‎, س‎, ش‎, ص‎, ض‎, ط‎, ظ‎, ع‎, غ‎, ف‎, ق‎, ک‎, گ‎, ل‎, م‎, ن‎, و‎, ه‎, ی‎

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Ushojo

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /həmza alif/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /á/

Letter

أ (hamza alif)

1. The second letter of the Ushojo abjad.

See also

• Previous letter: آ
• Next letter: ا