The Abjad value of Ya (ي) is 10, the tenth letter of the Abjad and the first of the tens. On its own Ya is the call “Ya!” (O!), as in Ya Allah. It works as the consonant “y” and the long “ee” vowel, and it opens words such as Yaqin (certainty) and Yad (hand).
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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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Ya is the tenth letter of the Abjad and the first to reach the tens, worth 10. On its own it is the call “Ya!”, the word that opens every direct address, from Ya Allah to Ya Rabb.
What Is the Arabic Letter Ya (ي)?
Ya is the tenth letter in the Abjad order and a moon letter. It carries two dots below and works in two ways: as the consonant “y” and as the long “ee” vowel.
Ya is the last member of the dotted family that shares one base shape: ب (one dot below), ت (two above), ث (three above), ن (one above), and ي (two below). It can also carry the hamza as ئ.
- Abjad Position: 10th, value 10 (the first of the tens)
- Modern Alphabet Position: 28th (last)
- Type: a moon letter (huruf qamariyya)
- Origin: the Phoenician Yod, meaning “hand”, ancestor of Hebrew Yod and Greek Iota
- Dots: two dots below
- Joining: connects on both sides, with four forms
- Opens / forms: the call “Ya!”, Yaqin (certainty), Yad (hand), Yawm (day)
What Is the Abjad Value of Ya?
In the Abjad system the value of Ya is 10, the point where the single digits end and the tens begin. It keeps its value in any position.
Ya is 10 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. See the Abjad Calculation Rules, or total any word in the Abjad Calculator.
| System | Ya value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mashriqi (Eastern / Standard) | 10 | Used across the Arab world and South Asia |
| Maghribi (Western) | 10 | Used in North Africa; unchanged for Ya |
Ya: The Call and Certainty
On its own Ya is يا, the vocative “O!” that begins a direct address, as in Ya Rabb (O Lord). It is the letter of the call. This is a fact of grammar, not of the number 10.
As the long “ee” it also runs through words of steadiness and knowing: يقين (yaqin, certainty), يمين (yamin, the right hand or an oath), and يد (yad, hand).
Words of Call and Certainty
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| يا | Ya, the call “O!” | 11 |
| يقين | Yaqin, certainty | 170 |
| يمين | Yamin, right hand / oath | 110 |
| يد | Yad, hand | 14 |
Names That Contain Ya
Ya sits inside many prophetic names. The totals below are plain letter sums, shown for study only.
Prophets and Companions
Other Names
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| ياسر | Yasir, “one who is at ease” | 271 |
| يمان | Yaman, from Yemen | 101 |
Everyday Words That Contain Ya
Ya is one of the most common letters in Arabic, both as “y” and as the long “ee” sound. Here are a few examples.
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| يوم | Day (yawm) | 56 |
| بيت | House (bayt) | 412 |
| عين | Eye, spring (ayn) | 130 |
How to Write Ya (ي)
Ya connects on both sides and has four shapes. It always carries two dots below, and at the end of a word its tail sweeps back under the line.
| Position | Form | Example | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolated | ي | يد | Yad (hand) |
| Initial | يـ | يوم | Yawm (day) |
| Medial | ـيـ | بيت | Bayt (house) |
| Final | ـي | علي | Ali |
Ya as a Vowel and a Hamza Seat
Beyond the “y” sound, Ya marks the long “ee” vowel, as in يقين (yaqin). It can also carry the hamza as ئ, for example in قائد (qaid, leader).
اردو میں حرف ی (ي)
حرف ی ابجد کا دسواں حرف ہے اور اکائیوں کے بعد پہلا عدد ہے؛ اس کا عدد (adad) 10 ہے۔ یہ ایک قمری حرف ہے۔
یہی حرف تنہا پکار “یا” (O!) بنتا ہے، جیسے یا اللہ۔ یہ یقین اور ید (ہاتھ) جیسے الفاظ کی بنیاد بھی ہے۔
یہ عدد صرف حساب اور مطالعے کے لیے ہے۔ کسی مذہبی فیصلے کے لیے مستند عالم سے رجوع کریں۔
Ya Across Ancient Alphabets
Ya carries the value of the tenth letter in the older alphabets. It descends from the Phoenician Yod, meaning “hand,” which gave 10 to Hebrew Yod and Greek Iota.
| Tradition | Letter | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Abjad | ي | 10 | Ya, the tenth letter |
| Hebrew Gematria | י | 10 | Yod, also the tenth and also 10 |
| Phoenician | 𐤉 | n/a | Yod, the original “hand” symbol |
| Greek | Ι (Iota) | 10 | Greek Iota is also 10 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The letter Ya (ي) has an Abjad value of 10 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. It is the tenth letter and the first to reach the tens.
On its own Ya is the vocative particle “Ya!”, meaning “O!”, which opens a direct address such as Ya Allah or Ya Rabb, so it is known as the letter of the call.
Both. Ya is the consonant “y”, and it also marks the long “ee” vowel, as in yaqin (certainty). It can further act as a seat for the hamza, written ئ.
Ya has two dots, placed below the letter. These two lower dots separate it from Ba, Ta, Tha, and Noon, which share the same base shape.
Ya is a moon letter, so the lam of the article al- is pronounced clearly before it, as in al-yaqin.
The word Yaqin (يقين), meaning certainty, has an Abjad value of 170: Ya 10, Qaf 100, Ya 10, Noon 50.
Yahya (John) and Yaqub (Jacob) both begin with Ya, and it also ends many names such as Ali. You can total each in the calculator on this page.
No. It is a fixed number used to add letters and makes no claim about luck or the future.
✓ Key Takeaways
- Ya (ي) has an Abjad value of 10, the first of the tens
- It is a moon letter with two dots below and four forms
- On its own Ya is the call “Ya!” (O!), as in Ya Allah
- It works as the consonant “y”, the long “ee” vowel, and a hamza seat (ئ)
- It opens words of certainty and the body: Yaqin, Yamin, Yad
- Ya, Hebrew Yod, and Greek Iota all descend from “hand” and all equal 10
- 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+064A).
- Eastern vs. Maghribi Abjad for how the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems compare.