ز zaay: the Arabic letter zaay
zaay (ز) is the 11th letter of the Arabic alphabet. It makes the sound z: z as in zoo. It never joins to the letter after it.
The shapes of zaay
Arabic letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. Arabic is read right to left.
zaay with vowel marks
What are fatha, kasra and damma?
Words that start with zaay
Letters that look like zaay
These share a shape with ز 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 zaay
How do you pronounce the Arabic letter zaay?
zaay (ز) is the 11th letter of the Arabic alphabet. Its name is said "zaay". It makes the sound z: z as in zoo.
How do you write zaay in Arabic?
On its own zaay is written ز. 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 ز, and joined at the end ز.
What is an Arabic word that starts with zaay?
زَرَافَة (zaraafa) means "giraffe" and starts with zaay.
How does zaay sound with vowel marks?
With a fatha it says za (زَ), with a kasra zi (زِ) and with a damma zu (زُ).
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