---
title: "The Arabic letter ز (zāy): sound, forms and words"
description: "ز (zāy) is letter 11 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/zay"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter ز (zāy): sound, forms and words

ز, called zāy, is letter 11 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: z. It never joins the letter after it, so a word always breaks after ز.

## How ز is written

- Alone: ز
- Start: ز
- Middle: ‍ز
- End: ‍ز

## Arabic words that begin with ز

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

- [زَيْت](https://fasaha.app/w/zayt) — zayt, oil (A0)
- [زَرَافَة](https://fasaha.app/w/zarafa) — zarāfa, giraffe (A1)
- [زَيْتُون](https://fasaha.app/w/zaytun) — zaytūn, olives (A1)
- [زَمَان](https://fasaha.app/w/zamaan) — zamān, time, era (A2)
- [زَمَن](https://fasaha.app/w/zaman) — zamaan, time (A2)
- [زَعْفَرَان](https://fasaha.app/w/zafaran) — zaʿfarān, saffron (B1)

## Questions about ز

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

ز (zāy) sounds like this: z.

### Does ز join the next letter?

No. ز is one of the six letters that never join the letter after them (ا د ذ ر ز و), so the next letter starts a new shape.

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

ز is letter 11 of 28, after ر (rāʾ) and before س (sīn).

- Previous letter: [ر (rāʾ)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/ra)
- Next letter: [س (sīn)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/sin)

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