Learn the Arabic letter Waaw with word samples 2023
The Arabic letter Waaw “و” is the 27th letter in the Arabic alphabet. It has the shape of a banana with a filled or hollow circle on top.
This letter has only two forms (initial and middle) an Arabic word, as it does not connect the following letter.
The shapes of the letter Waaw و:
| Terminal | Middle | Initial | Isolated |
|---|---|---|---|
| ـو | ـو | و | و |
How to pronounce Waaw و?
The pronunciation of the letter Waaw و is the same as the pronunciation of the English letter W. Sometimes, Waaw و is pronounced like the English O and U as it is one of the three Arabic long vowels.
Examples of words with Waaw و:
Here are some examples of the letter Waaw و at the beginning, middle, and end of the word:
The initial Waaw و:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| وجه | Face | Wajh |
| ورقة | Paper | Waraqa |
| وطواط | Bat | Watawat |
The middle Waaw و:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ليمون | Lemon | Laymun |
| ضوء | Light | Daw‘ |
| هروب | Escape | Hurub |
The terminal Waaw و:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| جرو | Puppy | Jaru |
| عفو | Forgiveness | Afuw |
| نمو | Growth | Numuw |
The letter Waaw و with the Harakat حركات:
The letter Waaw و with fat.ha فتحة:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| وَحش | Monster | Wahsh |
| ألوَان | Colors | Alwan |
| وَاحد | One | Wahed |
The letter Waaw و with the Damma ضمة:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| وُجوه | Faces | Wujuh |
| وُحوش | Monsters | Wuhush |
| وُقود | Fuel | Wuqud |
The letter Waaw و with Kasra كسرة:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| طاوِلة | Table | Tawila |
| وِسادة | Pillow | Wisada |
| أدوِية | Drugs | Adwya |
The letter Waaw و with Sukuun سكون:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| هدوْء | Calm | Huduu‘ |
| زوْرق | Boat | Zawraq |
| حوْض | Tank | Hawd |
The letter Waaw و with Hamza ء
Sometimes Hamza ء is put over the letter Waaw و and sound the same as if they are separated. Here are some examples of the letter Waaw و with Hamza ء in the middle and end of the word:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| سؤال | Question | Su’aal |
| تفاؤل | Optimism | Tafa’awul |
| تنبؤ | Prediction | Tanabbo’ |
The letter Waaw و as a long vowel and weak letter
The letter Waaw و is one of the Arabic long vowels which are: Alif ا, Waaw و and Yaa ي. In Arabic, these letters are called “weak letters حروف العلة”, because they can change between each other. Here is an example that explains more:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| قال | (He) said | Qala |
| يقول | (He) is saying | Yaqul |
| باع | (He) sold | Baa’a |
| يبيع | (He) is selling | Yabee’ |
The verb قال has Alif ا in the middle, which is actually Waaw و because the root letters of this word are: ق و ل. The middle letter Waaw و is weak and changed into Alif ا in the verb “said”.
In the word يقول, you see that Waaw و has not changed. So in many cases, you will meet Waaw و transformed into Alif ا.
Other roles of the letter Waaw و
The letter Waaw و in Arabic also means “and”, and pronounced “Wa”, for example:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| أنا وأنت | Me and you | Ana wa anta |
You can also find Waaw و at the end of the verb conjugated with هم which means they, for example:
| Arabic | English | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| هم قالوا | They said | Hom qalou |
Waaw و here refers to the plural pronoun هم.
The letter Waaw و is one of the easy Arabic letters which are not difficult to pronounce, as its sound exists in many other languages. And its shape is similar to the letters Raa ر and Zai ز.
Also, remember that the letter Waaw و is one of the six letters that do not connect the following letters. These letters are:
1- Alif ا
2- Raa ر
3- Zaay ز
4- Dal د
5- Thal ذ
6- Waaw و
