The Abjad value of Zay (ز) is 7, the seventh letter of the Abjad. Zay is a non-joining sun letter, a Ra with a single dot above it, and it opens words of adornment and time such as Zayn (adornment), Zakah (purifying charity), and Zaman (time).
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Diacritics | اعراب
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Values are arithmetic only, for study and reference. For full name analysis, open the full Abjad Calculator.
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Zay is the seventh letter of the Abjad. It is a Ra crowned with a single dot, and it begins a family of words about adornment, growth, and the passing of time.
What Is the Arabic Letter Zay (ز)?
Zay is the seventh letter in the Abjad order and a sun letter. It is a small hook that dips below the line, with one dot above it.
Zay forms a pair with ر (Ra): the two share the same shape, and only a single dot above turns Ra (200) into Zay (7).
- Abjad Position: 7th, value 7
- Modern Alphabet Position: 11th
- Type: a sun letter (huruf shamsiyya)
- Origin: the Phoenician Zayin, meaning “weapon”, ancestor of Hebrew Zayin and Greek Zeta
- Dots: one dot above
- Joining: non-joining; connects to the letter before, not after (two forms)
- Opens: Zayn (adornment), Zakah (charity), Zaman (time)
What Is the Abjad Value of Zay?
In the Abjad system the value of Zay is 7. It follows Waw (6) and keeps its value in any position.
Zay is 7 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. See the Abjad Calculation Rules, or add any word in the Abjad Calculator.
| System | Zay value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mashriqi (Eastern / Standard) | 7 | Used across the Arab world and South Asia |
| Maghribi (Western) | 7 | Used in North Africa; unchanged for Zay |
Zay: Adornment and Time
The old name of the letter, Zayn, means adornment or beauty, and the letter opens a matching family of words: زين (zayn, adornment), زكاة (zakah, purifying charity), زمان (zaman, time), and زوج (zawj, a pair or spouse). These are matters of vocabulary, not of the number 7.
No name among the ninety-nine begins with Zay, so this letter is better known through its everyday words than through the divine names.
Words of Adornment, Charity and Time
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| زين | Zayn, adornment / beauty | 67 |
| زكاة | Zakah, purifying charity | 33 |
| زمان | Zaman, time | 98 |
| زوج | Zawj, pair / spouse | 16 |
Names That Contain Zay
Zay begins several well-known names. The totals below are plain letter sums, shown for study only.
Prophets and Companions
| Name | Who they were | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| زكريا | Zakariya (Zechariah), a prophet | 238 |
| زيد | Zaid ibn Haritha, a companion | 21 |
Other Names
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| زينب | Zaynab, a fragrant flower | 69 |
| زياد | Ziyad, “growth, increase” | 22 |
Everyday Words That Contain Zay
Zay appears across everyday Arabic. Here are a few familiar words.
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| زيت | Oil (zayt) | 417 |
| زهرة | Flower (zahra) | 217 |
| زاد | Provision (zad) | 12 |
How to Write Zay (ز)
Zay is a non-joining letter: it connects to the letter before it but never to the one that follows, so it has only two forms. Its single dot always sits above the letter.
| Position | Form | Example | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolated / Initial | ز | زمان | Zaman (time) |
| Medial / Final | ـز | عزيز | Aziz (dear) |
Zay and Ra
Zay and ر (Ra) are a matched pair. A single dot above turns Ra (200) into Zay (7), a very large change in value from one small dot, much like the Dal and Dhal pair.
اردو میں حرف ز (ز)
حرف ز ابجد کا ساتواں حرف ہے اور اس کا عدد (adad) 7 ہے۔ یہ ایک شمسی حرف ہے اور اپنے بعد والے حرف سے نہیں ملتا۔
یہ ایک نقطے کے ساتھ ر (رے) ہے۔ یہ زینت، زکات اور زمان جیسے الفاظ کی بنیاد ہے۔
یہ عدد صرف حساب اور تعلیم کے لیے ہے۔ کسی مذہبی مسئلے کے لیے مستند عالم سے رجوع کریں۔
Zay Across Ancient Alphabets
Zay carries the value of the seventh letter in the older alphabets. It descends from the Phoenician Zayin, meaning “weapon,” which gave 7 to Hebrew Zayin and Greek Zeta.
| Tradition | Letter | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Abjad | ز | 7 | Zay, the seventh letter |
| Hebrew Gematria | ז | 7 | Zayin, also the seventh and also 7 |
| Phoenician | 𐤆 | n/a | Zayin, the original “weapon” symbol |
| Greek | Ζ (Zeta) | 7 | Greek Zeta is also 7 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The letter Zay (ز) has an Abjad value of 7 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. It is the seventh letter in the Abjad order.
Ra (ر) has no dot and is worth 200. Adding one dot above makes Zay (ز), which is worth 7. The shape is shared; only the dot and value differ.
Zay joins to the letter before it but never to the one after it, so it has only two forms and often leaves a small gap after it.
Zay is a sun letter, so the lam of the article al- assimilates into it, as in az-zaman rather than al-zaman.
The word Zakah (زكاة), the purifying charity, has an Abjad value of 33: Zay 7, Kaf 20, Alif 1, plus the ta marbuta counted as 5.
No. None of the ninety-nine names of Allah begins with Zay, so the letter is better known through everyday words like zakah and zaman.
Zaid, Zakariya, Zaynab, and Ziyad all begin with Zay. You can total each in the calculator on this page.
No. It is a fixed number used to add letters and carries no hidden or predictive meaning.
✓ Key Takeaways
- Zay (ز) has an Abjad value of 7, the seventh value in the table
- It is a non-joining sun letter with a single dot above and two forms
- Zay is a Ra with one dot; the dot changes 200 into 7
- Its old name Zayn means adornment, and it opens Zakah, Zaman, Zawj
- No divine name begins with Zay, so it lives in everyday vocabulary
- Zay, Hebrew Zayin, and Greek Zeta all descend from “weapon” and all equal 7
- The value is plain arithmetic, for study and reference only
Sources & Further Reading
- Encyclopaedia Iranica: Abjad for the letter order and traditional values.
- Unicode Arabic Block (U+0600) for the letter and its code point (U+0632).
- Eastern vs. Maghribi Abjad for how the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems compare.