اول

See also: أؤل and أول

Bulgar

Alternative forms

• آول

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *ogul.

Noun

اَول (awıl or awul)

1. (Volga Bulgar) son

   اَحرَج اَوْلِ اَبحُمِ اَولِ اَرشِ اَولِ مَحمُود زِيَارَةِ كُ ― Ahraç awlı Abhumi awlı Arşı awlı Mahmûd ziyâreti kü. ― This is the memorial of Ahraç's son Abhumi's son Arshy's son Mahmud.

Descendants

• Chuvash: ывӑл (yvăl)

References

• Róna-Tas, András (1976) “A Volga Bulgarıan Inscription from 1307”, in Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae‎^[1] (in Bulgar), volume 30, number 2, pages 153–186
• Tekin, Talât (1988) Volga Bulgar kitabeleri ve Volga Bulgarcası [Volga Bulgarian Ephitaphs and Volga Bulgarian Language]‎^[2] (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, →ISBN, pages 158, 182-183

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Burushaski

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [uːl]

Noun

اول (uul)

1. (anatomy) belly

References

• Sadaf Munshi (2015) “Word Lists”, in Burushaski Language Documentation Project‎^[3].
• Bechtholdt, Astrid (2025) “اول”, in Burushaski Hunza Dictionary (Webonary), Dallas, Texas, USA: SIL International, published 2017.

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Chagatai

Alternative forms

• او (u)

Pronoun

اول (ul)

1. he, she, it

Declension

Declension of Chagatai personal pronouns

	singular					plural
	1st person	2nd person		3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
		familiar	polite
nominative	من (män)	سن (sän)	سیز (siz)	اول, او (ul, u)		بیز (biz)	سیزلار (sizlär)	اولار, الار (ular, alar)
genitive	منينک (meniñ)	سنينک (seniñ)	سیزنينک (sizniñ)	اونينک, انينک (uniñ, aniñ)		بیزنينک (bizniñ)	سیزلارنينک (sizlärniñ)	اولارنينک (ularniñ)
dative	منکا, مانکا (maña)	سنکا, سانکا (saña)	سیزکە (sizgä)	اولارغە انکا (ularğa aña)		بیزکا (bizgä)	سیزلارکا (sizlärgä)	اولارغە (ularğa)
accusative	منی (meni)	سنی (seni)	سیزنی (sizni)	انی (ani)		بیزنی (bizni)	سیزلارنی (sizlärni)	اولارنی (ularni)
locative	مندە (mändä)	سندە (sändä)	سیزدە (sizdä)	اونينکدە, اندا, انينکدە (uniñda, anda, aniñda)		بیزدە (bizdä)	سیزلاردە (sizlärdä)	اولاردە (ularda)
ablative	مندين (mändin)	سندين (sändin)	سیزدين (sizdin)	اونينکدين, اندين, انينکدين (uniñdin, andin, aniñdin)		بیزدين (bizdin)	سیزلاردين (sizlärdin)	اولاردين (ulardin)

Egyptian Arabic

Adjective

اول • (awwil) (feminine اولى (ūla), masculine plural اوايل (awāyil))

1. Alternative spelling of أول

Kashmiri

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit 𑆄𑆬𑆪 (ālaya).

Noun

اول • (ōl) m (plural ٲلؠ, Devanagari ओल, Sharada 𑆏𑆬𑇀)

1. nest
2. a recess in a wall used as a shelf

Further reading

• Grierson, George Abraham (1932) “ôlu”, in A dictionary of the Kashmiri language, Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal
• Elmslie, William Jackson (1872) A Vocabulary of the Kashmírí Language‎^[4], London: Church Missionary House, page 47

Khalaj

Adjective

اَوَّل (əvvəl)

1. Arabic spelling of əvvəl (“first”)

Old Anatolian Turkish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *ol, whence also آنْ (an).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oɫ/

Determiner

اُولْ • (ol)

1. that, over there

   اول كون بر قیامت صواش اولدی

   ol gün bir qıyāmät savaş oldı

   that day an apocalyptic war occured

Pronoun

اُولْ • (ol)

1. he, she, it (third person singular pronoun)

Descendants

Reflexives of the merger with آنْ (an):

• Azerbaijani: o
• Gagauz: o
• Ottoman Turkish: او (o), (early) اول (ol)
  • Turkish: o

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic أَوَّل (ʔawwal).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /(ʔ)ævːæl/

Adjective

أَوَّل • (ʔävväl)

1. first
2. previous

Adverb

أَوَّل • (ʔävväl)

1. before

Descendants

• Azerbaijani: əvvəl
• Gagauz: evel
• Ottoman Turkish: اول (evvel)
  • Turkish: evvel

Further reading

• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “o”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “evvel”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *o-l (“that”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰆𐰞 (ol), Karakhanid اُلْ (ol), Kazakh ол (ol), etc.

Alternative forms

• او (o)

Pronoun

اول • (ol)

1. (demonstrative) he, she, it
   • 16th ce., Tiryâkî Hasan Paşa, Gazavât-ı Tiryâkî:

     امدی بندن قاپودانه سلام ایله اول دخی قراللاروڭوره خبر ایده

     İmdi benden kapudana selam eyle, ol dahı krallaruñuza haber ede

     Now go and give your captain my regards, may he inform your kings too

Declension

Declension of اول

	singular	plural
nominative	اول (ol)	آنلر (anlar)
genitive	انیك (anıñ)	انلاریڭ (anlarıñ)
dative	اڭا (aña)	انلارا (anlara)
definite accusative	آنی (anı)	انلاری (anları)
locative	اندا (anda)	انلاردا (anlarda)
ablative	اندان (andan)	انلاردان (anlardan)

Descendants

• Turkish: o

See also

• بو (bu)
• شو (şu)
• شول (şol)

References

• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “او”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[5], Constantinople: Mihran, page 167
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) Linguarum orientalium Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae institutiones seu Grammatica Turcica in qua orthographia, etymologia, syntaxis, prosodia, et reliqua eò spectantia exacte tractantur, exemplisque perspicuis illustrantur et cuius singulis capitubus praecepta linguarum Arabicae et Persicae subjiciuntur‎^[6], Vienna, page 146
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “او”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[7], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 232
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “اول”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[8], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 265

Etymology 2

From Arabic أَوَّل (ʔawwal).

Adjective

اول • (evvel)

1. first
2. old

Derived terms

• اولكی (evvelki)

Descendants

• Turkish: evvel

Noun

اول • (evvel)

1. beginning

References

• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “اول”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[9], Constantinople: Mihran, page 199
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “evvel”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic أَوَّل (ʔawwal).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [ʔaw.ˈwal]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔäw.wǽl]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔäw.wǽl]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [ʔäw.wǽl]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [ʔäw.wǽl̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔæv.vǽl̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [ʔäw.vǽl]

Readings
Classical reading?	awwal
Dari reading?	awwal
Iranian reading?	avval
Tajik reading?	avval

Adverb

Dari	اول
Iranian Persian
Tajik	аввал

اَوَّل • (avval)

1. first, firstly

   Synonyms: اَوَّلاً (avvalan), اَوَّلین (avvalin), نُخُسْت (noxost)

Numeral

Persian numbers ^(edit)

		10
		۱ 1	2  →	10  →
Cardinal: یک (yek)     Ordinal: اَوَّل (avval)

اول • (avval)

1. first

   Synonyms: یِکُم (yekom), نُخُسْت (noxost)

Descendants

• Dari: اَوَّل (awwal)
• Iranian Persian: اَوَّل (avval)
• Tajik: аввал (avval)
• → Bengali: আউয়াল (aual)
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: अव्वल (avval)

  Urdu: اَوَّل (avval)

• → Khalaj: əvvəl

Urdu

Urdu numbers ^(edit)

		10[a], [b]
	←  0	۱ 1	2  → [a], [b], [c]	10  → [a], [b]
Cardinal: ایک (ek)     Ordinal: پَہْلا (pahlā), اَوَّل (avval)     Multiplier: اِکْلَوتا (iklautā), واحِد (vāhid)

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian اَوَّل (awwal), from Arabic أَوَّل (ʔawwal).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /əʋː.əl/
• Rhymes: -əl
• Hyphenation: اَوْ‧وَل

Adjective

اَوَّل • (avval) (Hindi spelling अव्वल)

1. first

   Synonyms: پہلا (pahlā), یکم (yakam), نخست (nuxust)

2. foremost, primary

   Synonyms: نخستین (nuxustīn), اولین (avvalīn), اولاً (avvalan)

3. first-class, excellent, highest

Noun

اَوَّل • (avval) m (Hindi spelling अव्वल)

1. beginning, first or early part

References

• “اول”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “اول”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2025.