The letter's story
Eye and spring
عَيْن
One word, many worlds: the eye, a spring of water, the best of something, even rain that lasts for days. The first Arabic dictionary, Kitāb al-ʿAyn, is named after this letter.
Letter 18 of 28
The letter Ain (ع)
This is Ain. Tap the biscuit to hear it, then play Catch the letter below.
Ain (ع) is the 18th letter of the Arabic alphabet. On this page: how to say the Arabic letter Ain, its shapes in a word, words that start with Ain, and girls' and boys' names that start with it.
Tap the biscuit
The shapes of Ain
A letter changes shape with its place in the word.
عalone
عـstart
ـعـmiddle
ـعend
Words that start with Ain
Three words every child knows. Tap a word to hear it.
Honey
Bird
Grapes
Girls' names that start with Ain
Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits and hear its letters.
عبيرAbeera blend of perfumes with saffronSource: Lisan al-ArabBoys' names that start with Ain
عزامAzzampatient and determined; also the lion+ 1 more meaningSource: Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia · Doha DictionaryCatch the letter
Tap every Ain biscuit. Watch out for look-alikes!
Questions parents ask
How do you say the Arabic letter Ain?
Tap the Ain biscuit at the top of the page to hear it, then say it slowly together with your child.
How many shapes does Ain have?
Four: alone (ع), at the start of a word (عـ), in the middle (ـعـ) and at the end (ـع).
Which girls' names start with Ain?
Abeer. Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits.
Which boys' names start with Ain?
Ali, Azzam. Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits.