The letter's story
Family
أَهْل
When a guest arrives, Arabs say ahlan wa sahlan: you have come to your family (ahl) and to smooth, easy ground (sahl). To a desert traveller, nothing sounded kinder.
Letter 1 of 28
The letter Alif (ا)
This is Alif. Tap the biscuit to hear it, then play Catch the letter below.
Alif (ا) is the 1st letter of the Arabic alphabet. On this page: how to say the Arabic letter Alif, its shapes in a word, words that start with Alif, and girls' and boys' names that start with it.
Tap the biscuit
The shapes of Alif
Alif never joins the letter after it.
اalone
اstart
ـاmiddle
ـاend
Words that start with Alif
Three words every child knows. Tap a word to hear it.
Rabbit
Lion
Pineapple
Girls' names that start with Alif
Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits and hear its letters.
أملAmalhopeSource: Lisan al-Arab · Sultan Qaboos EncyclopediaBoys' names that start with Alif
أحمدAhmedone who has the finest qualities and is praised for them+ 1 more meaningSource: Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia · Doha DictionaryCatch the letter
Tap every Alif biscuit. Watch out for look-alikes!
Questions parents ask
How do you say the Arabic letter Alif?
Tap the Alif biscuit at the top of the page to hear it, then say it slowly together with your child.
How many shapes does Alif have?
Two: Alif never joins the letter after it, so it looks the same alone and at the start (ا), and the same in the middle and at the end (ـا).
Which girls' names start with Alif?
Amal. Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits.
Which boys' names start with Alif?
Ahmed. Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits.