ع
ʕayn/ʕajn/
ع (ʕayn) (ayn) is the name of the second letter of the Arabic alphabet.
The term ayn refers both to the name of the letter and to the letter itself.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is ʕayn. The IPA pronunciation is /ʕajn/.
Did you know?
- The letter ع is a distant relative of the Latin letter 'O'. While the sound and shape have transformed significantly over millennia, they share a common ancestral lineage through the Phoenician alphabet.
- In Arabic, the word ayn can refer to the literal eye, a natural water spring, or the letter ع.
- Because the word ayn literally means 'eye', it is used in Arabic slang to refer to a 'spy'. This metaphor treats a person who observes and reports information as a literal eye.
Examples in context
- هذا الحرف هو ع.hadha al-harf huwa 'ayn.This letter is 'ayn.
- أنا أكتب حرف ع الآن.ana aktub harf 'ayn al-an.I am writing the letter 'ayn now.
- هل تعرف شكل حرف ع؟hal ta'rif shakl harf 'ayn?Do you know the shape of the letter 'ayn?
Example conversation
Youssef and Nour are studying the Arabic alphabet together.
- يوسف Youssefيا نور، ما هو هذا الحرف؟ya Nour, ma huwa hadha al-harf?Nour, what is this letter?
- نور Nourهذا هو حرف ع.hadha huwa harf 'ayn.This is the letter 'ayn.
- يوسف Youssefهل هو حرف صعب؟hal huwa harf sa'b?Is it a difficult letter?
- نور Nourليس صعباً يا يوسف.laysa sa'ban ya Youssef.It is not difficult, Youssef.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ع, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ع, CC BY-SA 4.0.
