Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🔤 First Arabic letter 👦 A male name
alif

alif

9.9
The first letter of the Arabic alphabet that shows a long a sound and sometimes stands for the number one
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : alif
  • In Arabic, the letter alif is the first character of the alphabet and is pronounced like a long 'a'.

Examples

  • There are stylistic conventions in Arabic for the representation of alif and lam together, but they do not resemble what is seen in this picture in the slightest.

    Blog text (9)

  • Such a trailing line cannot happen in an alif, not even in decorative script, because that line is all that distinguishes the alif from an initial or medial lam.

    Blog text (9)

  • Such a trailing line cannot happen in an alif, not even in decorative script, because that line is all that distinguishes the alif from an initial or medial lam.

    Blog text (9)

  • When learning the Arabic alphabet, students often start with alif, the initial letter, which represents the sound 'a'.

  • The shape of the letter alif is unique, standing tall and straight compared to other letters in the script.

Synonyms

alef
vsalif
9.9

The first letter of the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets

is specific to Arabic, showing its written shape, long a sound, and numeric use

Surface Forms

alif singular
alifs plural

Etymology

Alif is the Arabic name for the first letter, and it comes from an old word meaning 'ox'. It is related to Hebrew aleph and Greek alpha, which you see in the English word alphabet, so alif is remembered as the 'first' letter and can also stand for the number 'one'.