overwordExplorer
ARABIC · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

ا.

ʔalif

Although usually considered to be the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, the small hamza (ء (ʔ)) that sits on top of أ (ʔ) is really the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and the tall column is its bearer, together known as alif mahmūza (أَلِف مهموزة, hamzated alif). This entry only deals with the lower part, the bearer, which is called أَلِف (ʔalif) and, without the hamza, is used to lengthen a preceding a.

1 characterالعربية language

Meaning & usage

characterʔalif/ʔa.lif/letter, name/ʔ/phoneme

  1. Although usually considered to be the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, the small hamza (ء (ʔ)) that sits on top of أ (ʔ) is really the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, and the tall column is its bearer, together known as alif mahmūza (أَلِف مهموزة, hamzated alif). This entry only deals with the lower part, the bearer, which is called أَلِف (ʔalif) and, without the hamza, is used to lengthen a preceding a.

    letter
Where this word comes from

From the Nabataean Aramaic letter 𐢁 (l, “aleph”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (l, “ālef”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓃾. See also Classical Syriac ܐ (l, “ālef”), Hebrew א (l, “alef”), Ancient Greek Α (A), Latin A.

symbolʔalif/aː//a//i//u/

  1. The first numeral symbol of the Arabic alphabet (traditional abjad order, used for list numbering), written in the Arabic script; followed by ب (b).

Where this word comes from

From the Nabataean Aramaic letter 𐢁 (l, “aleph”), derived from the Phoenician letter 𐤀 (l, “ālef”), from the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓃾. See also Classical Syriac ܐ (l, “ālef”), Hebrew א (l, “alef”), Ancient Greek Α (A), Latin A.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

ا has 1 character. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

ا studioا workshello, ا

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.