---
title: "The Arabic letter ي (yāʾ): sound, forms and words"
description: "ي (yāʾ) is letter 28 of 28 in the Arabic alphabet: how it sounds, how it is written at the start, middle and end of a word, and Arabic words that begin with it."
canonical: "https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/ya"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter ي (yāʾ): sound, forms and words

ي, called yāʾ, is letter 28 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: y, or a long i. It joins the letter after it, so it has four written forms.

## How ي is written

- Alone: ي
- Start: ي‍
- Middle: ‍ي‍
- End: ‍ي

## Arabic words that begin with ي

From the Fasaha dictionary, easiest first. Each word opens its own page with meaning, root and forms.

- [يَا](https://fasaha.app/w/ya) — yā, O (calling someone) (A0)
- [يَوْم](https://fasaha.app/w/alyawm) — yawm, day; today (A0)
- [يَاسَمِين](https://fasaha.app/w/yasmin) — yāsamīn, jasmine (A2)

## Questions about ي

### How do you pronounce the Arabic letter ي?

ي (yāʾ) sounds like this: y, or a long i.

### Does ي join the next letter?

Yes. ي joins the letter after it, so it has separate start, middle and end shapes: ي‍, ‍ي‍, ‍ي.

### What number is ي in the Arabic alphabet?

ي is the last of the 28 letters, after و (wāw).

- Previous letter: [و (wāw)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/waw)

[All 28 letters in the alphabet chart](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet-chart)