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

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔ/

Combined with fatha: أَ :

• IPA^(key): /ʔa/

Combined with damma: أُ :

• IPA^(key): /ʔu/

Letter

أ / ‍أ • (ʔ)

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 (ʔalif) and the hamza represents a glottal stop (/ʔ/). (See also ا.) It is followed by ب (b).

See also

• (Arabic script letters) ا (ʔalif), ب (bāʔ), ت (tāʔ), ث (ṯāʔ), ج (jīm), ح (ḥāʔ), خ (ḵāʔ), د (dāl), ذ (ḏāl), ر (rāʔ), ز (zāy), س (sīn), ش (šīn), ص (ṣād), ض (ḍād), ط (ṭāʔ), ظ (ẓāʔ), ع (ʕayn), غ (ḡayn), ف (fāʔ), ق (qāf), ك (kāf), ل (lām), م (mīm), ن (nūn), ه (hāʔ), و (wāw), ي (yāʔ)
• ا, إ (ʔ)
• Wikipedia article on the Arabic alphabet
• Search for entries beginning with أ

Etymology 2

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

Particle

أَ • (ʔa-)

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)

     ʔaraʔayta llaḏī yanhā (9) ʕabdan ʔiḏā ṣallā (10) ʔaraʔayta ʔin kāna ʕalā l-hudā (11) ʔaw ʔamara bi-t-taqwā (12)

     9 Hast thou seen the one who scoldeth 10 this worshipper when he prayeth? 11 Hast thou looked at whether he is rightly guided, 12 or whether he preacheth 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)

     ʔalam tara kayfa faʕala rabbuka biʕādin (6) ʔirama ḏāti l-ʕimādi (7) allatī lam yuḵlaq miṯluhā fī l-bilādi (8)

     6 Hast thou not seen what thy 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 (ʔam, “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-ʔin ʔadrī ʔa-qarībun ʔam baʕīdun mā tūʕadūna

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

4. indicates an inclusive disjunction with أَمْ (ʔam, “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

     sawāʔun ʕalayhim ʔa-staḡfarta lahum ʔam lam tastaḡfir lahum lan yaḡfira llāhu lahum

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

Usage notes

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

  609–632 CE, Qur'an, 23:115:

  أَفَحَسِبْتُمْ أَنَّمَا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا تُرْجَعُونَ

  ʔa-fa-ḥasibtum ʔannamā ḵalaqnākum ʕabaṯan wa-ʔannakum ʔilaynā lā turjaʕūna

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

Alternative forms

• آ (ʔā) — 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

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 is أ , middle form ٔ and final form ٔ

See also

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

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

Kyrgyz

Letter

أ

1. The first letter of the Kyrgyz alphabet.

See also

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

Malay

Letter

أ

1. The first letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Arabic script.

See also

• (Arabic script letters) ا,‎ ب,‎ ت,‎ ة,‎ 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]

Persian

Letter

أ • (alef)

1. The first letter of the Persian alphabet.

See also

• (Letters of the Persian Alphabet) 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

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