The Abjad value of Waw (و) is 6, the sixth letter of the Abjad. Waw is the letter of connection: on its own it is the word “and”, the most repeated word in Arabic. It opens divine names of love and care such as Al-Wadud (the Loving) and Al-Wali (the Protector).
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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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Waw is the sixth letter of the Abjad and the great connector of the language. On its own it is the word “and”, the tie that joins one thing to the next in almost every Arabic sentence.
What Is the Arabic Letter Waw (و)?
Waw is the sixth letter in the Abjad order and a moon letter. It is a small round hook with no dots, and it works in two ways: as the consonant “w” and as the long “oo” vowel.
Waw is also a non-joining letter and can carry the hamza, written as ؤ. Because it does not connect to the letter after it, it often leaves a small gap in the middle of a word.
- Abjad Position: 6th, value 6
- Modern Alphabet Position: 27th
- Type: a moon letter (huruf qamariyya)
- Origin: the Phoenician Waw, ancestor of Hebrew Vav and the old Greek Vau
- Dots: none
- Joining: non-joining; connects to the letter before, not after (two forms)
- Opens / forms: the word “and”, Wahid (one), Wali (guardian), Wahy (revelation)
What Is the Abjad Value of Waw?
In the Abjad system the value of Waw is 6. It follows Ha (5) and keeps its value in any position.
Waw is 6 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. See the Abjad Calculation Rules, or total any word in the Abjad Calculator.
| System | Waw value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Mashriqi (Eastern / Standard) | 6 | Used across the Arab world and South Asia |
| Maghribi (Western) | 6 | Used in North Africa; unchanged for Waw |
Waw: The Letter of Connection
On its own Waw is و, the word “and”. It is the tie the language leans on more than any other, which is why it is known as the letter of connection. This is a fact of grammar, not of the number 6.
Waw also opens words of unity and care: واحد (wahid, one), ولي (wali, guardian or friend), and وحي (wahy, revelation).
Names of Allah That Begin With Waw
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| الودود | Al-Wadud, the Loving | 51 |
| الولي | Al-Wali, the Protecting Friend | 77 |
| الواحد | Al-Wahid, the One | 50 |
| الوهاب | Al-Wahhab, the Bestower | 45 |
For the full set of divine names, see the 99 Names of Allah.
Words of Unity and Care
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| واحد | Wahid, one | 19 |
| ولي | Wali, guardian / friend | 46 |
| وحي | Wahy, revelation | 24 |
| ودود | Wadud, loving | 20 |
Names That Contain Waw
Waw sits inside many well-known names. The totals below are plain letter sums, shown for study only.
Prophets and Companions
| Name | Who they were | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| يوسف | Yusuf (Joseph), a prophet | 156 |
Other Names
| Name | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| وليد | Walid, “newborn” | 50 |
| وهب | Wahb, “gift” | 13 |
Everyday Words That Contain Waw
Waw is one of the most common letters in Arabic, both as “and” and as the long “oo” sound. Here are a few examples.
| Word | Meaning | Abjad value |
|---|---|---|
| نور | Light (nur) | 256 |
| يوم | Day (yawm) | 56 |
| لون | Colour (lawn) | 86 |
How to Write Waw (و)
Waw 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 and often leaves a small gap after it.
| Position | Form | Example | Transliteration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isolated / Initial | و | واحد | Wahid (one) |
| Medial / Final | ـو | نور | Nur (light) |
Waw as a Vowel and a Hamza Seat
Beyond the “w” sound, Waw marks the long “oo” vowel, as in نور (nur, light). It can also carry the hamza as ؤ, for example in مؤمن (mumin, believer).
اردو میں حرف و (و)
حرف و ابجد کا چھٹا حرف ہے اور اس کا عدد (adad) 6 ہے۔ یہ ایک قمری حرف ہے اور اپنے بعد والے حرف سے نہیں ملتا۔
یہی حرف تنہا لفظِ “اور” (and) بنتا ہے، اسی لیے اسے حرفِ ربط کہا جاتا ہے۔ یہ واحد، ولی اور وحی جیسے الفاظ کی بنیاد ہے۔
یہ عدد صرف حساب اور مطالعے کے لیے ہے۔ کسی مذہبی فیصلے کے لیے مستند عالم سے رجوع کریں۔
Waw Across Ancient Alphabets
Waw carries the value of the sixth letter in the older alphabets. It descends from the Phoenician Waw, which gave 6 to Hebrew Vav and to the old Greek letter Vau (digamma).
| Tradition | Letter | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arabic Abjad | و | 6 | Waw, the sixth letter |
| Hebrew Gematria | ו | 6 | Vav, also the sixth and also 6 |
| Phoenician | 𐤅 | n/a | Waw, the original symbol |
| Greek | Ϝ (Vau) | 6 | The old Greek Vau (digamma) was 6 |
Frequently Asked Questions
The letter Waw (و) has an Abjad value of 6 in both the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems. It is the sixth letter in the Abjad order.
On its own Waw is the word “and”, the conjunction that joins words and clauses across almost every Arabic sentence, so grammarians call it the letter of connection.
Waw 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 in a word.
Both. Waw is the consonant “w”, and it also marks the long “oo” vowel, as in nur (light). It can further act as a seat for the hamza, written ؤ.
Al-Wadud (the Loving), Al-Wali (the Protector), Al-Wahid (the One), and Al-Wahhab (the Bestower) all begin with Waw once the article is set aside.
Waw is a moon letter, so the lam of the article al- is pronounced clearly before it, as in al-wali.
The word Wahid (واحد), meaning one, has an Abjad value of 19: Waw 6, Alif 1, Haa 8, Dal 4.
No. It is a fixed number used to add letters, and it says nothing about luck or the future.
✓ Key Takeaways
- Waw (و) has an Abjad value of 6, the sixth value in the table
- It is a non-joining moon letter with no dots and two forms
- On its own Waw is the word “and”, the letter of connection
- It works as the consonant “w”, the long “oo” vowel, and a hamza seat (ؤ)
- It opens the divine names Al-Wadud, Al-Wali, Al-Wahid, Al-Wahhab
- Waw, Hebrew Vav, and the old Greek Vau all descend from one letter and all equal 6
- 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+0648).
- Eastern vs. Maghribi Abjad for how the Mashriqi and Maghribi systems compare.