⚡ Quick Answer
To calculate an Abjad value, write the word in Arabic, remove the diacritics, replace each letter with its fixed number — from Alif = 1 up to Ghayn = 1000 — and add them together.
Example: محمد (Muhammad) = 40 + 8 + 40 + 4 = 92
0 letters
Diacritics | اعراب
Advanced options
Values are arithmetic only, for study and reference. For full name analysis, open the full Abjad Calculator.
The Abjad Letter Values
Every Arabic letter has one fixed value. In the standard Mashriqi (Eastern) system they run in three bands — units, tens and hundreds:
| Band | Letters | Values |
|---|---|---|
| Units (1–9) | ا ب ج د ه و ز ح ط | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Tens (10–90) | ي ك ل م ن س ع ف ص | 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 |
| Hundreds (100–1000) | ق ر ش ت ث خ ذ ض ظ غ | 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000 |
أَبْجَدْ هَوَّزْ حُطِّي كَلَمُنْ سَعْفَصْ قَرَشَتْ ثَخَذْ ضَظَغْThe traditional mnemonic — Abjad Hawwaz Hutti Kalamun Sa’fas Qarashat Thakhadh Dazagh — fixes the order.
For the full one-page-per-letter breakdown, see the complete Abjad table.
The 5-Step Method
- Write the word in Arabic. For example محمد.
- Remove non-letters. Take out numbers, punctuation, spaces and diacritics (harakat) — keep only the core Arabic letters.
- Look up each letter. Find its value from the table above (Alif 1 … Ghayn 1000).
- Add the values. Sum them: Letter₁ + Letter₂ + … = Total.
- Read the result. The total is your Abjad value. You can check it in the Abjad calculator.
What to Count — and What to Ignore
✓ Count these
- All Arabic consonant letters
- Alif (ا), even without hamza
- Hamza written on a seat — as its seat (أ = 1, ؤ = 6, ئ = 10)
- Ya (ي) and Waw (و)
- Ta marbuta (ة) — as Ha (5)
- Alif maqsura (ى) — as Ya (10)
✗ Ignore these
- A lone hamza (ء) — unless you choose to count it as 1
- Diacritics (َ ُ ِ ّ ْ ً ٌ ٍ)
- Numbers (1, 2, 3 … or ١ ٢ ٣)
- Punctuation and spaces
- Latin letters (A, B, C …)
Special Rules for Edge Cases
| Case | Rule | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Hamza on alif — أ إ آ ٱ | Counts as Alif (madda is counted once) | 1 |
| Hamza on waw — ؤ | Counts as its seat, Waw | 6 |
| Hamza on ya — ئ | Counts as its seat, Ya | 10 |
| Lone hamza — ء | Not counted by default. Some traditions count it as 1 — tick “Count Hamza” in the calculator | 0 (or 1) |
| Ta marbuta — ة | Counts as Ha | 5 |
| Alif maqsura — ى | Counts as Ya | 10 |
| Diacritics / shaddah | Not counted at all | 0 |
| Lam-alif — لا | Counted as its two letters, Lam + Alif | 30 + 1 |
Worked Examples
محمد Muhammad: 40 + 8 + 40 + 4 = 92
الله Allah: 1 + 30 + 30 + 5 = 66
فاطمة Fatima (note the ta marbuta = 5): 80 + 1 + 9 + 40 + 5 = 135
علي Ali: 70 + 30 + 10 = 110
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Counting diacritics. Harakat and the shaddah add nothing — only the letters count.
- Forgetting the ta marbuta. A final ة is easy to miss but adds 5.
- Confusing the two “h” letters. Soft ه is 5; deep ح is 8.
- Mixing systems. Six letters differ between Mashriqi and Maghribi — see Eastern vs Maghribi. Don’t combine the two.
Explore More
- Abjad Calculator — do it automatically
- Complete Abjad Table — all 28 letters
- Eastern vs Maghribi — the two systems
- Abjad vs Gematria
- Complete Abjad Guide
- Glossary
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate an Abjad value?
Write the word in Arabic, remove the diacritics, replace each letter with its Abjad number (Alif 1 up to Ghayn 1000), and add them together. For example محمد is 40 + 8 + 40 + 4 = 92.
Which marks are not counted?
Short vowels and other diacritics (harakat), the shaddah, numbers, punctuation, spaces and non-Arabic letters are not counted. Only the core Arabic letters are added.
How is the ta marbuta (ة) counted?
The rounded ta marbuta (ة) is counted as Ha, value 5, so a word ending in it adds 5 — as in فاطمة (Fatima) = 135.
What value does the hamza have?
Abjad counts the written letters, and hamza is not one of the 28. Hamza written on a seat takes the value of that seat: on alif (أ, إ, آ) 1, on waw (ؤ) 6, on ya (ئ) 10. A lone hamza (ء) is not counted by default; some traditions count it as 1, so the calculator lets you switch that on.
What is the difference between the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems?
They agree on most letters but assign different values to six. This site uses the Mashriqi (Eastern) system as standard and shows the Maghribi value where it differs.
Sources & Further Reading
- Encyclopaedia Iranica: Abjad — letter order and traditional values.
- Unicode Arabic Block (U+0600) — the Arabic letters and their code points.
- Eastern vs Maghribi Abjad — how the two systems differ.
Reviewed by Moulana Haji Abdul Basit (Islamic Scholar & Mentor) · Last Updated: September 28, 2026