Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| حُرُوف هِجَاء | ḥurūf hijāʔ | plural |
| أَبْجَد | ʔabjad | masculine |
| أَلِفْبَاء | ʔalifbāʔ | masculine |
| أَلِفْبَائِيَّة | ʔalifbāʔiyya | feminine |
| أَبْجَدِيَّة | ʔabjadiyya | feminine |
In Arabic, the term used for 'alphabet' depends on whether you are referring to the physical letters used for spelling, the technical system of an alphabet or the traditional phonetic ordering of letters.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase حُرُوف هِجَاء literally means 'letters of spelling'.
Which one should you use?
The term أَبْجَدِيَّة refers to the concept of an alphabet as a system, while حُرُوف هِجَاء refers more to the actual letters used for spelling. The word أَبْجَد is the root of the word for alphabet and refers to the traditional ordering of Arabic letters based on their phonetic values.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Some Arabic dialects might refer to the alphabet as حروف الهجاء.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form أَلِفْبَائِيَّة is used when referring to the abstract concept of an alphabet.
How do you pronounce it?
ḥurūf hijāʔ
Did you know?
- While حُرُوف هِجَاء is the common term for alphabet, the word هِجَاء also means 'satire' or 'lampooning' in Arabic poetry, referring to a specific genre of poetry used to attack an enemy.
- In traditional Arabic scholarship, the أبجد order was used as a numbering system called 'Abjad numerals', where each letter is assigned a specific numerical value.
- The word أَبْجَد is actually an acronym formed from the first four letters of the ancient Semitic system: Alif, Ba, Jim, and Dal. It is a mnemonic device used to remember the sequence.
Example sentences for Arabic are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Leila is helping Ziad study for a language class.
- ليلى Laylaهل حفظتَ حُرُوف هِجَاء اللغة الجديدة يا زياد؟Hal hafizta huruf hija' al-lugha al-jadida ya Ziyad?Have you memorized the alphabet of the new language, Ziad?
- زياد Ziadنعم، ولكنها صعبة القراءة.Na'am, walakinnaha sa'bat al-qira'a.Yes, but it is difficult to read.
- ليلى Laylaيمكنني مساعدتك في التدرب عليها.Yumkinuni musa'adatuka fi al-tadarrub alayha.I can help you practice them.
- زياد Ziadشكراً لكِ يا ليلى.Shukran laki ya Layla.Thank you, Leila.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “alphabet” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
