و waaw: the Arabic letter waaw
waaw (و) is the 27th letter of the Arabic alphabet. It makes the sound w: w as in water. It never joins to the letter after it.
The shapes of waaw
Arabic letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. Arabic is read right to left.
waaw with vowel marks
What are fatha, kasra and damma?
Words that start with waaw
Letters that look like waaw
These share a shape with و and differ in their dots or a small detail. Children often mix them up, so it helps to learn them side by side.
Questions about waaw
How do you pronounce the Arabic letter waaw?
waaw (و) is the 27th letter of the Arabic alphabet. Its name is said "waaw". It makes the sound w: w as in water.
How do you write waaw in Arabic?
On its own waaw is written و. It is one of the six letters that never join to the letter after them, so it only has two shapes: on its own or at the start و, and joined at the end و.
What is an Arabic word that starts with waaw?
وَرْدَة (warda) means "rose" and starts with waaw. Others are وَاحِد (waaḥid, one).
How does waaw sound with vowel marks?
With a fatha it says wa (وَ), with a kasra wi (وِ) and with a damma wu (وُ).
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