The letter's story
Giraffe
زَرَافَة
English giraffe comes, through Italian, from Arabic zarāfa. Medieval English writers struggled with it and spelled it jarraf.
Letter 11 of 28
The letter Zaay (ز)
This is Zaay. Tap the biscuit to hear it, then play Catch the letter below.
Zaay (ز) is the 11th letter of the Arabic alphabet. On this page: how to say the Arabic letter Zaay, its shapes in a word, words that start with Zaay, and girls' and boys' names that start with it.
Tap the biscuit
The shapes of Zaay
Zaay never joins the letter after it.
زalone
زstart
ـزmiddle
ـزend
Words that start with Zaay
Three words every child knows. Tap a word to hear it.
Giraffe
Flower
Olives
Girls' names that start with Zaay
Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits and hear its letters.
زينبZainaba beautiful, sweet-scented tree; the name comes from itSource: Lisan al-Arab · Sultan Qaboos EncyclopediaBoys' names that start with Zaay
زيادZiadgrowth and abundanceSource: Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia · AlmaanyزيدZaidgrowth, abundance and givingSource: Sultan Qaboos Encyclopedia · Doha DictionaryCatch the letter
Tap every Zaay biscuit. Watch out for look-alikes!
Questions parents ask
How do you say the Arabic letter Zaay?
Tap the Zaay biscuit at the top of the page to hear it, then say it slowly together with your child.
How many shapes does Zaay have?
Two: Zaay never joins the letter after it, so it looks the same alone and at the start (ز), and the same in the middle and at the end (ـز).
Which girls' names start with Zaay?
Zainab. Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits.
Which boys' names start with Zaay?
Ziad, Zaid. Tap a name to see it in letter biscuits.