ع (eyn) is the 21st letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced a light catch in the throat (a glottal stop), often barely heard in everyday speech, as in عسل (asal, honey).
How to write ع (eyn)
Persian is written from right to left, and most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. These are the four forms of ع:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| ع | عـ | ـعـ | ـع |
ع joins the letter that comes after it.
How to pronounce ع (eyn)
A short catch in the throat, like the break in the middle of "uh-oh". In everyday speech it is often very light or not heard at all, especially at the start of a word, where it sounds like the vowel that follows it.
In standard Iranian Persian, ع sounds exactly like ء, so you learn the spelling of each word as you meet it. Most words spelled with ع come from Arabic.
Persian words with ع
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where ع is |
|---|---|---|---|
| عسل | asal | honey | start |
| عکس | aks | photo | start |
| عید | eyd | holiday, festival | start |
| ساعت | sâ'at | hour; watch, clock | middle |
| معلم | mo'allem | teacher | middle |
| بعد | ba'd | after, later | middle |
| شمع | sham' | candle | end |
| شروع | shoru' | start, beginning | end |
Good to know
- ع appears mostly in words of Arabic origin.
- At the start of a word ع carries the vowel, as in عسل (asal, honey); inside a word it is written ‘ in transliteration, as in ساعت (sâ’at).
Quiz: the letter ع
Check yourself on ع (eyn): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does ع (eyn) make?
2. Which word starts with ع?
3. What does عکس (aks) mean?
4. Does ع join the letter that comes after it?
5. Which letter is pronounced the same as ع?
6. Where is ع in the word ساعت (sâ’at, hour; watch, clock)?
7. What is the position of ع in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- A. ‘ (glottal stop): ع is pronounced ‘ (glottal stop). A short catch in the throat, like the break in the middle of “uh-oh”.
- C. عسل (asal): عسل (asal) means “honey” and begins with ع.
- D. photo: عکس (aks) means “photo”.
- C. Yes, it joins the next letter: ع joins the next letter, so it has four forms.
- A. ء: ع and ء sound the same (‘ (glottal stop)) in standard Iranian Persian.
- A. In the middle: In ساعت, ع comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- D. 21st: ع is the 21st letter: ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
Common questions
How do you pronounce ع in Persian?
ع (eyn) is pronounced ‘ (glottal stop). A short catch in the throat, like the break in the middle of “uh-oh”. In everyday speech it is often very light or not heard at all, especially at the start of a word, where it sounds like the vowel that follows it.
Does ع connect to the next letter?
Yes. ع joins the letter after it, so it has four forms: on its own, at the start, in the middle and at the end of a word.
Which letters sound like ع?
In standard Iranian Persian ع is pronounced the same as ء.
Is ع silent?
Not completely. It is a glottal stop, but in everyday Persian it is often so light that you barely hear it; at the start of a word it sounds just like the vowel that follows.
Is ع the same as ء (hamze)?
Yes, in standard Iranian Persian both are pronounced as the same glottal stop. Only the spelling differs.
The Farsi alphabet (Farsi: /alefbâye fârsi/ الفبای فارسی) consists 32 letters, most of which have two forms, short and full. In Farsi, words are written from right to left while numbers are written from left to right. Farsi is a writing style based on the Arabic script. It is entirely written cursively. That is, the majority of letters in a word connect to each other. Therefore, the appearance of a letter changes depending on its position: beginning (joined on the left), middle (joined on both sides), end (joined on the right) of a word and some letters are written isolated.
This writing style is also implemented on computers. Whenever the Farsi script is typed, the computer connects the letters to each other.
Following is a table showing the Farsi alphabet and how it is pronounced in English. There are also some examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| ح | چ | ج | ث | ت | پ | ب | الف |
| ش | س | ژ | ز | ر | ذ | د | خ |
| ق | ف | غ | ع | ظ | ط | ض | ص |
| ی | ه | و | ن | م | ل | گ | ک |
عـ – ع
“عـ – ع” called “eyn”, is the twenty-first letter of the Persian alphabet. It has short and full forms. “ع” sounds a slight pause between two letters. For example in “تعظیم” sounds “ta’zim”.
“ع” is written in four ways:
Initial letter: عدد /adad/ Number
Medial Letter: جمعه /jom’e/ Friday
Final Joined Letter: طبع /tab’/ Nature
Final Disjoined Letter: شروع /shoru’/ Start
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| ساعِد | عَرَب | سَعی |
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