A
| A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | |||
| Usage | |||
| Writing system | Latin script | ||
| Type | Alphabetic | ||
| Language of origin | Latin language | ||
| Sound values |
| ||
| In Unicode | U+0041, U+0061 | ||
| Alphabetical position | 1 | ||
| History | |||
| Development |
| ||
| Time period | c. 700 BCE – present | ||
| Descendants | |||
| Sisters | |||
| Other | |||
| Associated graphs | a(x), ae, eau, au | ||
| Writing direction | Left-to-right | ||
| ISO basic Latin alphabet |
|---|
| BbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYyZz |
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet,[1][2] used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is a (pronounced /ˈeɪ/ ⓘ AY), plural aes.[nb 1][2]
It is similar in shape to the Ancient Greek letter alpha, from which it derives.[3] The uppercase version consists of the two slanting sides of a triangle, crossed in the middle by a horizontal bar. The lowercase version is often written in one of two forms: the double-storey |a| and single-storey |ɑ|. The latter is commonly used in handwriting and fonts based on it, especially fonts intended to be read by children, and is also found in italic type.
- ^ "Latin alphabet". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ a b Simpson & Weiner 1989, p. 1.
- ^ McCarter 1974, p. 54.
Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).