أ

See also: ا‎ [U+0627 ARABIC LETTER 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 • (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.) 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, 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. Initial interrogative particle that indicates a yes-or-no question. It’s written together with the following word as all one letter words. Often used in the negative, e.g. أَلَا‎ (ʾa-lā, “isn't, doesn't”), أَلَيْسَ‎ (ʾa-laysa, “isn't, doesn't”).
2. Initial interrogative particle that introduces a choice question.
   • 609–632 C.E., 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.

3. Used to denote equality
   • 609–632 C.E., Qur'an, 63:6:

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

     sawāʾun ʿalayhim ʾastaḡfarta 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. Surely Allah does not guide the rebellious people.

Alternative forms

• آ‎ (ʾā) – used before اَلْ‎ (al-)

Usage notes

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

  609–632 C.E., 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?

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 is أ , 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 (ā), 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,

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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