What is ا?

ا, in the Arabic alphabet, is called "ʾalif" (أَلِف). It is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet and represents a glottal stop (a sound produced by briefly stopping the airflow in the throat).

  • Pronunciation: Alif represents the glottal stop, similar to the sound at the beginning of the English word "apple" when strongly emphasized. It can also function as a carrier for vowels or as a long vowel marker depending on the diacritics present. It doesn't have an inherent vowel sound. You can read more about it on this URL: Pronunciation.

  • Form: The alif is a simple vertical stroke. It has two main forms: initial/isolated (ﺍ) and medial/final (ﺎ).

  • Numerical Value: In the Abjad numeral system, alif represents the number 1. Further information on this topic can be found at: Abjad%20Numerals.

  • Usage in Arabic: Alif can also be used to lengthen the vowel sound "a" (like in "father") when it follows the short vowel "fatḥa" ( ـَ ). It also appears in many words and is a fundamental part of Arabic writing. You can read more on this topic from here: Arabic%20Script.