Last updated: 3 months
Rare one-letter Arabic verbs explained
Yes, there are one-letter-words in Arabic. You probably know the word for and وَ. But there is more – the imperative.
One-letter-words, that are based on a root, are very rare. They are only possible in the imperative (أَمْر) of some verbs.
These verbs have two weak letters (حَرْف الْعِلّة) in the root and only one “strong” consonant.
Examples of one-letter-verbs in Arabic
| meaning | verb | pronunciation | imperative |
|---|---|---|---|
| protect! | وَقَى | qi | !قِ |
| pay attention! | وَعَى | 3i | !عِ |
| carry out! | وَفَى | fi | !فِ |
It can be difficult to understand these forms correctly. Let’s take a look at this example from the Qur’an, Sura 2:201:
| …and protect us from the torment of the Fire… | ۭ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ |
That was a quick bite.
If you are still interested in reading more – learn how to use Arabic for encryption. Or read one of the following articles:
“Ri” is also one letter imperative arabic word.
How are such imperatives pronounced in pausa? I understand each has an alternative form with a final هاء (e.g., قِهْ, عِهْ, فِهْ and لِهْ), which is pronounced with the vowel and a final [h], but is it even possible for the forms without the هاء to be pronounced in pausa?