The Letter ا (Alif)
1st letter of the Arabic alphabet · 52,655 times in the Quran · الألف
Alif (ا) is the 1st letter of the Arabic alphabet. It comes from the empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf). It is sometimes heavy, sometimes light. It never joins the letter after it. The Quran has 52,655 of them (Hafs text), ranking 1st of the 28 letters. Its characteristics: jahr, rakhawah, istifal, infitah and ismat.
The four forms of Alif
- ا Isolated
- ا Initial
- ـا Medial
- ـا Final
Alif never joins the letter after it: at the start of a word it keeps its isolated form; in the middle it takes its final form, and the next letter starts again on its own.
Where Alif comes from: its point of articulation (makhraj)
Which point?
The empty space (al-jawf)ا و ي
- Where
- the empty space of the mouth and throat; the voice stretches there, with no precise point
The five areas
The 17 points of articulation, area by area
The empty space (al-jawf)ا و ي
- Where
- the empty space of the mouth and throat; the voice stretches there, with no precise point
The long-vowel letters come from the empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf), with no precise point: alif (ا), always vowelless after a fatha, wāw (و) without a vowel after a damma, yā (ي) without a vowel after a kasra.
Deepest part of the throatء ه
- Where
- the bottom of the throat, furthest from the mouth
The deepest part of the throat: hamza (ء) and hā (ه).
Middle of the throatح ع
- Where
- the middle of the throat
The middle of the throat: ḥā (ح) and ʿayn (ع).
Top of the throatخ غ
- Where
- the top of the throat, nearest the mouth
The top of the throat, nearest the mouth: khā (خ) and ghayn (غ).
Back of the tongue, throat sideق
- What moves
- the back of the tongue
- Against
- the soft palate, above it
Qāf (ق): the back of the tongue, on the throat side, against the palate above it.
Back of the tongue, a little further forwardك
- What moves
- the back of the tongue, a little nearer the mouth
- Against
- the palate, just in front of the place of qāf
Kāf (ك): the back of the tongue, a little further forward than qāf, against the palate above it.
Middle of the tongueج ش ي
- What moves
- the middle of the tongue
- Against
- the hard palate, above it
The middle of the tongue against the palate above it: jīm (ج), shīn (ش), and yā (ي) when it is not a long-vowel letter.
Side of the tongueض
- What moves
- one side of the tongue, or both
- Against
- the upper molars
Ḍād (ض): one side of the tongue, or both, against the upper molars.
Front of the sides and the tipل
- What moves
- the front of the sides of the tongue, up to the tip
- Against
- the gums of the upper teeth
Lām (ل): the front of the sides of the tongue up to its tip, against the gums of the upper teeth, at the front of the mouth.
Tip of the tongueن
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- the gum of the two upper front teeth
Nūn (ن): the tip of the tongue against the gum of the two upper front teeth, slightly below the place of lām.
Tip and a little of the topر
- What moves
- the tip, with a little of the top of the tongue
- Against
- the gum of the upper front teeth
Rā (ر): the tip of the tongue with a little of its upper side, against the gum of the upper front teeth, very close to the place of nūn.
Tip, at the roots of the teethت د ط
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- the roots of the two upper front teeth
The tip of the tongue against the roots of the two upper front teeth: tā (ت), dāl (د) and ṭā (ط).
Tip, just above the lower teethز س ص
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- just above the two lower front teeth
The tip of the tongue just above the two lower front teeth: zāy (ز), sīn (س) and ṣād (ص).
Tip, at the edges of the teethث ذ ظ
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- the edges of the two upper front teeth
The tip of the tongue against the edges of the two upper front teeth: thā (ث), dhāl (ذ) and ẓā (ظ).
Lower lip and upper teethف
- What moves
- the inside of the lower lip
- Against
- the edges of the two upper front teeth
Fā (ف): the inside of the lower lip against the edges of the two upper front teeth.
Both lipsب م و
- What moves
- both lips
- How
- closed for ب and م, rounded without closing for و
Both lips: bā (ب) and mīm (م) by closing them, and wāw (و), when it is not a long-vowel letter, by rounding them without closing.
The nose (al-khayshum)ن م
- Where
- the nasal passage, where the air of the ghunnah flows
The nasal passage (al-khayshum): the ghunnah, the nasal sound that goes with nūn (ن) and mīm (م).
Al-jawfا و ي
Al-jawf: the empty space inside the mouth and throat.
Al-halqء ه ح ع خ غ
Al-halq: the throat, at three places, from the deepest to the nearest to the mouth.
Al-lisanق ك ج ش ي ض ل ن ر ت د ط ز س ص ث ذ ظ
Al-lisan: the tongue, with the palate, teeth and gums facing it. Ten points, where most letters come from.
Ash-shafatanف ب م و
Ash-shafatan: the two lips, at two points.
Al-khayshumن م
Al-khayshum: the nasal passage, where the ghunnah, the nasal sound of nūn and mīm, comes from.
Alif comes from the empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf).
- Point of articulation
- The long-vowel letters come from the empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf), with no precise point: alif (ا), always vowelless after a fatha, wāw (و) without a vowel after a damma, yā (ي) without a vowel after a kasra.
The characteristics of Alif (sifat)
Alif has 5 characteristics: jahr, rakhawah, istifal, infitah and ismat.
| Characteristic | What it means |
|---|---|
| Jahrالجهر | Al-jahr (voicing): the breath is held back as the letter is said. |
| Rakhawahالرخاوة | Ar-rakhawah (softness): the sound keeps flowing with the letter. |
| Istifalالاستفال | Al-istifal (lowering): the tongue stays low, away from the palate. |
| Infitahالانفتاح | Al-infitah (openness): the tongue does not press against the palate; air passes between them. |
| Ismatالإصمات | Al-ismat (restraint): the opposite of idhlaq, the letter is not said with the same ease. |
Alif is one of the three letters that are sometimes heavy, sometimes light.
Alif in the tajweed rules
Alif is one of the letters of 1 tajweed rule explained on this site.
- Madd Tabee'ee
An alif, wāw or yā extending the vowel before it, and no hamzah or vowelless letter after.
Alif in the Quran: 52,655 times
52,655times in the Quran (Hafs text)
the most frequent of the 28 letters
| Form | In the Quran |
|---|---|
| ا isolated | 7,716 |
| ـا at the end of a word | 17,468 |
| Letter | In the Quran |
|---|---|
| plain form (ا) | 25,184 |
| with the joining sign (ٱ) | 13,483 |
| carrying a hamza above (أ) | 8,900 |
| carrying a hamza below (إ) | 5,088 |
Alif is counted character by character over the 6,236 verses of the Hafs text, with its other spellings (ٱ أ إ). The place in the word is that of its plain form.
Alif in five words of the Quran
Tap ▶ to hear each word in its verse, recited by al-Husary. Alif is highlighted, in the form it takes in the word.
-
إِلَّا
illa
Except
-
إِذَا
idhā
When
-
إِنَّآ
innā
Indeed, We
-
شَانِئَكَ
shāni'aka
your enemy
-
ٱلنَّاسَ
n-nāsa
the people
Keep going
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Alif (ا)?
The long-vowel letters come from the empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf), with no precise point: alif (ا), always vowelless after a fatha, wāw (و) without a vowel after a damma, yā (ي) without a vowel after a kasra. Alif is one of the three letters that are sometimes heavy, sometimes light.
What are the forms of Alif?
Isolated: ا; initial: ا; medial: ـا; final: ـا. Alif never joins the letter after it: at the start of a word it keeps its isolated form; in the middle it takes its final form, and the next letter starts again on its own.
How many times does Alif appear in the Quran?
52,655 times in the Hafs text: it is the most frequent of the 28 letters. Its plain form is most often found at the end of a word (17,468 times).
ا (alif): how can I check my pronunciation?
Recite out loud a verse with the letter ا (alif) in the Tilawa app: it follows your recitation word by word and flags the words you mispronounced, with the correct recitation to replay.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error