و (vâv) is the 30th letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced v, as in “van”, as in ورزش (varzesh, sport), or the vowels u and o, as in روز (ruz, day) and تو (to, you).
How to write و (vâv)
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 و:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| و | و | ـو | ـو |
و is one of the seven Persian letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so the next letter starts a new group, as in روز.
How to pronounce و (vâv)
As a consonant و is v, as in "van" (not w). It is also used for the vowels u (as in "moon") and sometimes o, as in تو (to, you).
Persian words with و
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where و is |
|---|---|---|---|
| ورزش | varzesh | sport, exercise | start |
| وقت | vaght | time | start |
| وزن | vazn | weight | start |
| روز | ruz | day | middle |
| خوب | khub | good | middle |
| دوست | dust | friend | middle |
| تو | to | you (singular) | end |
| پتو | patu | blanket | end |
Good to know
- و can be a consonant v or the vowels u and o: ورزش (varzesh), روز (ruz), تو (to).
- و never joins the letter after it.
- The word و (and) is usually pronounced o in speech, and va in careful speech.
- In خوا, as in خواهر (khâhar, sister), the و is written but not pronounced.
Quiz: the letter و
Check yourself on و (vâv): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does و (vâv) make?
2. Which word starts with و?
3. What does وقت (vaght) mean?
4. Does و join the letter that comes after it?
5. What is the name of the letter و?
6. Where is و in the word روز (ruz, day)?
7. What is the position of و in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- A. v, u, o: و is pronounced v, u, o. As a consonant و is v, as in “van” (not w).
- A. ورزش (varzesh): ورزش (varzesh) means “sport, exercise” and begins with و.
- B. time: وقت (vaght) means “time”.
- C. No, it never joins the next letter: و is one of the seven letters that never join the next letter: ا د ذ ر ز ژ و.
- D. vâv: و is called vâv.
- A. In the middle: In روز, و comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- C. 30th: و is the 30th 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 و in Persian?
و (vâv) is pronounced v, u, o. As a consonant و is v, as in “van” (not w). It is also used for the vowels u (as in “moon”) and sometimes o, as in تو (to, you).
Does و connect to the next letter?
No. و is one of the seven letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so it has only two forms.
Is و pronounced v or w?
In standard Iranian Persian the consonant و is v, as in “van”. The w sound is typical of Arabic and Afghan Persian (Dari), not of Iranian Persian.
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 |
“و” called “vâv”, is the thirtieth letter of the Persian alphabet. It only has one form. “و” has three sounds. It sounds /v/ like “v” in “Very”, sounds /o/ like “O” in “Orange”, sounds /u/ like “oo” in “Good”. “و” only joins to the preceding letters in Persian words.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| توت | دوست | توپ |
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