Learn Arabic › B1 › حَرْف
حَرْف
letter (of the alphabet) /ħarf/
nounB1#1614 most common
Also: particle (in Arabic grammar), edge or brink, consonant
Example sentences
هَذَا حَرْفٌ.
This is a letter.
الْأَلِفُ أَوَّلُ حَرْفٍ.
Alif is the first letter.
اُكْتُبْ كُلَّ حَرْفٍ بِوُضُوحٍ.
Write each letter clearly.
كَلِمَةُ "قَلَم" تَتَكَوَّنُ مِنْ ثَلَاثَةِ حُرُوفٍ.
The word "qalam" consists of three letters.
حَرْفُ الْجَرِّ يُغَيِّرُ مَعْنَى الْجُمْلَةِ.
The preposition (particle of genitive) changes the meaning of the sentence.
لَمْ أُحَرِّفْ حَرْفًا وَاحِدًا مِنْ كَلَامِهِ، بَلْ نَقَلْتُهُ بِأَمَانَةٍ.
I did not alter a single letter of his words; I conveyed them faithfully.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | حَرْفٌ | حُرُوفٌ |
| Genitive | حَرْفٍ | حُرُوفٍ |
| Accusative | حَرْفًا | حُرُوفًا |
| Vocative | يَا حَرْفُ | يَا حُرُوفُ |
Word family
حُرُوفletters (plural)
حَرْفِيّliteral, verbatim
حَرَّفَto distort, falsify
اِحْتِرَافprofessionalism, craft
مِحْرَافprobe (surgical instrument)
Etymology
The word derives from the triliteral root ح-ر-ف, which carries the sense of an edge, border, or extremity. A letter is the edge or margin of speech, the smallest distinct unit. The same root gives words for deviation and alteration, since to turn something from its edge is to distort it.
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