The Abjad value of Kaf (ك) is 20, the eleventh letter of the Abjad. Kaf is the letter of the command “Kun” (Be!), and it opens words of speech and writing such as Kalima (word) and Kitab (book), plus divine names like Al-Karim (the Generous).
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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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Kaf is the eleventh letter of the Abjad, worth 20. Its old name means the palm of the hand, and it carries the single word of creation, “Kun” — Be — from which everything follows.
What Is the Arabic Letter Kaf (ك)?
Kaf is the eleventh letter in the Abjad order and a moon letter. It is drawn with a distinctive upright stroke and a small hamza-like mark inside, and it connects on both sides.
Its name comes from an old word for the palm of the hand, and it stands for the sound “k”.
- Abjad Position: 11th, value 20
- Modern Alphabet Position: 22nd
- Type: a moon letter (huruf qamariyya)
- Origin: the Phoenician Kaph, meaning “palm of the hand”, ancestor of Hebrew Kaf and Greek Kappa
- Dots: none
- Joining: connects on both sides, with four forms
- Opens: Kun (Be!), Kalima (word), Kitab (book), Karim (generous)
What Is the Abjad Value of Kaf?
In the Abjad system the value of Kaf is 20. It follows Ya (10) and keeps its value in any position.
Kaf is 20 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. See the Abjad Calculation Rules, or total any name in the Abjad Calculator.
| System | Kaf value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mashriqi (Eastern / Standard) | 20 | Used across the Arab world and South Asia |
| Maghribi (Western) | 20 | Used in North Africa; unchanged for Kaf |
Kaf: The Command “Kun”
Kaf opens كن (kun, “Be!”), the word of command by which things are brought into being. It is also the first letter of كلمة (kalima, word) and كتاب (kitab, book), the letter of speech and writing. These are points of language, not properties of the number 20.
This deep tie to the spoken and written word is why Kaf is so often met at the start of key religious vocabulary.
Names of Allah That Begin With Kaf
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| الكريم | Al-Karim, the Generous | 301 |
| الكبير | Al-Kabir, the Most Great | 263 |
For the full set of divine names, see the 99 Names of Allah.
Words of Speech and Writing
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| كن | Kun, “Be!” | 70 |
| كلمة | Kalima, word | 95 |
| كتاب | Kitab, book | 423 |
Names That Contain Kaf
Kaf begins several well-known names. The totals below are plain letter sums, shown for study only.
Well-Known Names
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| كريم | Karim, “generous, noble” | 270 |
| كمال | Kamal, “perfection” | 91 |
| كعب | Kab, a companion’s name | 92 |
Everyday Words That Contain Kaf
Kaf appears across everyday Arabic. Here are a few familiar words.
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| كتاب | Book (kitab) | 423 |
| كلب | Dog (kalb) | 52 |
| كوكب | Star, planet (kawkab) | 48 |
How to Write Kaf (ك)
Kaf connects on both sides and has four shapes. In its initial and medial forms it is a compact upright, while isolated and final it opens into a wider stroke with a small mark inside.
| Position | Form | Example | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolated | ك | ملك | Malik (king) |
| Initial | كـ | كتاب | Kitab (book) |
| Medial | ـكـ | مكة | Makka (Mecca) |
| Final | ـك | ملك | Mulk (dominion) |
Kaf and the Palm of the Hand
The name Kaf comes from the old word kaff, the palm of the hand, and the earliest form of the letter was a picture of an open hand. The link survives in the modern word for a palm, kaff.
اردو میں حرف ک (ك)
حرف ک ابجد کا گیارہواں حرف ہے اور اس کا عدد (adad) 20 ہے۔ یہ ایک قمری حرف ہے۔
یہ حرف امرِ تخلیق كن (کُن، یعنی “ہو جا”) کا پہلا حرف ہے، اور کلمہ و کتاب 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۔
Kaf Across Ancient Alphabets
Kaf carries the value of the eleventh letter in the older alphabets. It descends from the Phoenician Kaph, meaning “palm of the hand,” which gave 20 to Hebrew Kaf and Greek Kappa.
| Tradition | Letter | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Abjad | ك | 20 | Kaf, the eleventh letter |
| Hebrew Gematria | כ | 20 | Kaf, also the eleventh and also 20 |
| Phoenician | 𐤊 | n/a | Kaph, the original “palm” symbol |
| Greek | Κ (Kappa) | 20 | Greek Kappa is also 20 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The letter Kaf (ك) has an Abjad value of 20 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. It is the eleventh letter in the Abjad order.
Kaf is the first letter of Kun (كن), “Be!”, the single command of creation in the Quran, so it is often called the letter of that word of command.
The name comes from the old word kaff, meaning the palm of the hand, and the earliest form of the letter was a drawing of an open hand.
Kaf is a moon letter, so the lam of the article al- is pronounced clearly before it, as in al-kitab.
The word Kitab (كتاب), meaning book, has an Abjad value of 423: Kaf 20, Ta 400, Alif 1, Ba 2.
Al-Karim (the Generous) and Al-Kabir (the Most Great) both begin with Kaf once the article al- is set aside.
Karim, Kamal, and Kab all begin with Kaf. You can total each in the calculator on this page.
No. It is a fixed number used to add letters, with no predictive or hidden meaning.
✓ Key Takeaways
- Kaf (ك) has an Abjad value of 20, the eleventh value in the table
- It is a moon letter with no dots and four forms
- Kaf is the first letter of “Kun” (Be!), the word of command
- Its name means the palm of the hand (kaff)
- It opens words of speech and writing: Kalima, Kitab, and the names Al-Karim, Al-Kabir
- Kaf, Hebrew Kaf, and Greek Kappa all descend from “palm” and all equal 20
- 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+0643).
- Eastern vs. Maghribi Abjad for how the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems compare.