Last updated 1 year ago.
Arabic “but” (لكن): the Dagger Aleph (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة) explained
Many Arabic words, including لٰكن (but/however) and even “Allah” (اللّٰه)), are written with a subtle mark called the dagger Aleph (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة). This article explains why these words appear different from their pronunciation, delving into the historical evolution of Arabic script and how this short vertical dash signifies a long vowel, especially in Quranic and common words.
The Arabic word لكن (meaning “but” or “however”) is often written without a visible long ‘a’ sound, appearing as لٰكن instead of لاكن, which might seem counterintuitive.
This article delves into the reason behind this common spelling, introducing the concept of the dagger Aleph (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة) – a short vertical dash that signifies an unwritten long vowel in many Arabic words, including religious terms and common particles.
In fact, the word should be spelled like this: لٰكن
Actually, all the words mentioned above should be written with a strange vertical dash:
| this (masculine) | هٰذا |
| this (feminine) | هٰذِه |
| that | ذٰلِك |
This brings us to the topic of the so-called dagger Aleph (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة as خَنْجَر means dagger). This kind of Aleph – ...ٰ.… – has to do with the history of the script.
The most famous word with a dagger Aleph is the word Allah – in Arabic: اللّٰه – because the singular word for a god in Arabic is: إلٰه
Why is that?
The original Semitic alphabet had no vowel signs. Eventually, some vowels came to be marked with letters, but in the Qur’an you still have many words whose (long) vowels are not marked as we are used today.
Usually people don’t notice this because the Qur’an is fully vocalized, but for example, if you read the first Sura 1 al-Fātiha (سورة الفاتِحة), you will see that the word الْعالَمِين in the second verse has no Aleph. Nor does the word مالِك in the fourth verse. They have daggers instead.
Let’s look at them (notice that some browsers might not display the signs properly):
| (All) praise is (due) to Allah, Lord of the worlds | الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَٰلَمِينَ | 2 |
| The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful | الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ | 3 |
| Sovereign of the Day of Recompense | مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ اْلدِينِ | 4 |
Eventually, the script became more orderly and today we have absolute rules. However, some words, including grammar words like هٰذا and religious words like اْلرَّحْمٰن are still spelled in the old way and vocalized with daggers.
Note: The same happens in Hebrew. Old Biblical names like כהן (“Cohen” which means priest in Hebrew) and שלמה (“Shlomo”; meaning: Solomon, son of David; in Arabic: سُلَيْمان) are spelled in the old way, instead of כוהן and שלומו.
Some interesting comments and remarks from Twitter users which I would like to share:
More grammar stuff is just a click away:
- What Is the Literal Meaning of the Word Dunyā (دُنْيا) in Arabic?
- The Difference Between Negating with ما (mā) and لَمْ (lam) in Arabic
- Can You Read Arabic without Dots?
Wanna cite this article?
Drißner, G. (2017, February 25). Arabic “but” (لكن): the Dagger Aleph (أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة) explained. Arabic for Nerds. https://arabic-for-nerds.com/grammar/dagger-aleph-arabic/
Published: February 25, 2017
Please check the citation before use, especially if your style guide has local requirements.
Publication ISSN: 3055-1730
Join the discussion: Sign in with social media for instant commenting, or register with email (comments require approval):