א
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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| Unicode name | HEBREW LETTER ALEF |
|---|---|
| Codepoint | U+5D0 |
Contents |
[edit] Translingual
[edit] Etymology
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Modification of Aramaic א (ā, ē), “‘Ālef’”), closely related to Syriac ܐ (’), “‘Ālap, Olaf’”) and Arabic ﺍ (ā ʾ), “‘alif’”), ultimately from Phoenician 𐤀 (’), “‘alef’”).
[edit] Letter
א
[edit] See also
- Appendix:Hebrew alphabet
- Wide: ﬡ
[edit] Symbol
א
- (mathematics) a transfinite cardinal number
[edit] See also
[edit] Hebrew
[edit] Alternative forms
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[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Letter
א (Hebrew letter alef)
[edit] Usage notes
In Modern Israeli Hebrew, א (’), “‘alef’”) represents either a glottal stop (IPA: /ʔ/), or has no pronunciation besides that of the vowel attached to it. The pronunciation varies from group to group.
א (’), “‘alef’”)—along with the other gutteral letters, ע (ʿ), “‘ayin’”), ר (r), “‘resh’”), ה (h), “‘he’”), and ח (ḥ), “‘hḥêṯ’”)—cannot receive a dagesh (the dot in בּ (b), “‘bet’”), which can appears in most other Hebrew letters), although there are rare examples where the Masoretes added a dagesh to it.
א (’), “‘alef’”) is sometimes used to denote a vowel (usually IPA: /a/) in words of Aramaic and Arabic origin, in foreign names, and in some other borrowed words.
[edit] Numeral
א (Gematria)
[edit] See also
- Appendix:Hebrew alphabet
- Next letter: ב (b, “‘beth’”)
