س

See also: ش, س࣪, and س-

س U+0633, س ARABIC LETTER SEEN ← ز [U+0632] Arabic ش → [U+0634]

ﺱ U+FEB1, ﺱ ARABIC LETTER SEEN ISOLATED FORM ← ﺰ [U+FEB0] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﺲ → [U+FEB2]

ﺲ U+FEB2, ﺲ ARABIC LETTER SEEN FINAL FORM ← ﺱ [U+FEB1] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﺳ → [U+FEB3]

ﺳ U+FEB3, ﺳ ARABIC LETTER SEEN INITIAL FORM ← ﺲ [U+FEB2] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﺴ → [U+FEB4]

ﺴ U+FEB4, ﺴ ARABIC LETTER SEEN MEDIAL FORM ← ﺳ [U+FEB3] Arabic Presentation Forms-B ﺵ → [U+FEB5]

Arabic

Etymology 1

From Nabataean 𐢝 (š), from Classical Syriac ܫ (š), from Aramaic ש (š), from Imperial Aramaic 𐡔 (š), from the Egyptian 𓌒.

Further information

This letter stood for /ʃ/ in Aramaic. 𐢖 was not adopted into the Arabic alphabet because of the following considerations:

Proto-Semitic has three fricatives that became sibilants in descendant languages: ś, š, s. In Arabic ś gave /ʃ/, but š and s merged to /s/. In Old Aramaic all three sibilants were distinguished, and s was represented by 𐢖 / ס / 𐡎 while 𐢝 / ש / 𐡔 represented both ś and š. This orthography persisted in later Aramaic even to the time of the Nabataeans, when the pronunciation of ś merged with that of s /s/.

So when a scribe wanted to write the Arabic sound /ʃ/ from ś, he did so by using 𐢝 / س purposefully in order to stick to a letter form that looks the same in the cognate Aramaic words. But when he wanted to write an Arabic sound /s/ from Proto-Semitic š, he would defy the Aramaic spelling for this Proto-Semitic phoneme were he to represent this Arabic phoneme by the sign 𐢖 / ס / 𐡎, whereas Arabic-Aramaic word pairs with the Proto-Semitic s are – somewhat by coincidence – rare and there was hence only negligible pressure to employ 𐢖 / ܣ / ס / 𐡎, in total. So the impression was that 𐢝 / ש / 𐡔 / س is the most typical sign to write /s/ while the other possible sign fell out of use.

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /siːn/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س / س‍ / ‍س‍ / ‍س • (sīn)

1. The twelfth letter of the Arabic alphabet. It is preceded by ز (z) and followed by ش (š).
2. x, unknown mathematical variable

Symbol

س / س‍ / ‍س‍ / ‍س • (sīn)

1. The fifteenth letter in traditional abjad order, which is used in place of numerals for list numbering (abjad numerals). It is preceded by ن (n) and followed by ع (ʕ).

See also

• (Arabic script letters) ا (ʔalif), ب (bāʔ), ت (tāʔ), ث (ṯāʔ), ج (jīm), ح (ḥāʔ), خ (ḵāʔ), د (dāl), ذ (ḏāl), ر (rāʔ), ز (zāy), س (sīn), ش (šīn), ص (ṣād), ض (ḍād), ط (ṭāʔ), ظ (ẓāʔ), ع (ʕayn), غ (ḡayn), ف (fāʔ), ق (qāf), ك (kāf), ل (lām), م (mīm), ن (nūn), ه (hāʔ), و (wāw), ي (yāʔ)
• Wikipedia article on the Arabic alphabet
• Search for entries beginning with س

References

• Diem, Werner (1980) “Untersuchungen zur frühen Geschichte der arabischen Orthographie: II. Die Schreibung der Konsonanten”, in Orientalia (in German), volume 49, number 1, →DOI, pages 77–81

Etymology 2

Shortened form of سَوْفَ (sawfa).

Particle

سَـ • (sa-)

2. will (prefix indicating the future tense)

   يَقْرَأُ كِتَابًا، سَيَقْرَأُ كِتَابًا

   yaqraʔu kitāban, sayaqraʔu kitāban

   He is reading a book, he will read a book.

Synonyms

• سَوْفَ (sawfa)

Balti

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s/, [s]

Letter

س (transliteration needed)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Balti alphabet, written in the Perso-Arabic script

Burushaski

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s/, [s]

Letter

س (transliteration needed)

1. The twenty-third letter of the Burushaski alphabet, written in the Perso-Arabic script

Chinese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s/, [s], [ɕ]

Letter

س

1. The sixteenth letter of the Xiao'erjing abjad.

Usage notes

• This letter is also used to represent Pinyin initials s- and sh-.

Kashmiri

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /siːn/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س • (s)

1. The twenty-third letter of the traditional alphabet chart of Kashmiri.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ژھ (ċh)
• Next letter: ش (ś)

Kazakh

Alternative scripts
Arabic	س
Cyrillic	С, с
Latin	S, s
Yañalif	S, s

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /siːn/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س • (s)

1. The eleventh letter of the Kazakh in Arabic Script. It represents the Cyrillic letter С.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ز
• Next letter: ش
• (Arabic script letters) ا, ب, پ, ت, ج, چ, ح, د, ر, ز, س, ش, ع, ف, ق, ك, گ, ڭ, ل, م, ن, ە, ھ, و, ۇ, ۋ, ۆ, ى, ي.

Khowar

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /sin/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س (sīn)

1. The twenty-third letter of the Khowar abjad.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ݱ
• Next letter: ش

Malay

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Name of letter, Johor-Selangor) IPA^(key): [sen]
• (Phoneme) IPA^(key): [s]

Letter

س / س‍ / ‍س‍ / ‍س

1. The thirteenth letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Arabic script.

See also

• (Arabic script letters) ا,‎ ب,‎ ت,‎ ة,‎ ث,‎ ج,‎ چ,‎ ح,‎ خ,‎ د,‎ ذ,‎ ر,‎ ز,‎ س,‎ ش,‎ ص,‎ ض,‎ ط,‎ ظ,‎ ع,‎ غ,‎ ڠ,‎ ف,‎ ڤ,‎ ق,‎ ک,‎ ݢ,‎ ل,‎ م,‎ ن,‎ و,‎ ۏ,‎ ه,‎ ء,‎ ي,‎ ى,‎ ڽ ^[edit]

Etymology 2

Malay cardinal numbers

<  ٠	١	٢  >
Cardinal : س

Shortened form of اسا, from Proto-Malayic *əsa, from Proto-Malayo-Chamic *əsa, from Proto-Malayo-Sumbawan *əsa, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *əsa, from Proto-Austronesian *əsa.

Alternative forms

• esa
• ĕsă
• se (se-)
• sĕ (sĕ-)
• sa (sa-)
• să (să-)
• اسا

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sə]
• Rhymes: -sə, -ə

Numeral

س (Rumi spelling se)

1. one

Synonyms

• satu / ساتو
• tunggal / توڠݢل
• eka (eka-) / ايک (ايک-)
• ahad / احد

Derived terms

• se- / س-

Pashto

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /sin/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س • (sin)

1. The twenty-first letter of the Pashto alphabet.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ږ
• Next letter: ش

Persian

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [siːn]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [siːn]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [siːn]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [siːn]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [sin]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [siːn]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [sin]

Readings
Classical reading?	sīn
Dari reading?	sīn
Iranian reading?	sin
Tajik reading?	sin

• Audio (Iran):

  (file)

Letter

ﺱ / ﺳ‍ / ﺴ / ‍ﺲ • (sin)

1. The fifteenth letter of the Perso-Arabic alphabet. It is preceded by ژ and followed by ش. Its name is سین.

Punjabi

Alternative forms

• Gurmukhi letter: ਸ (sassā)

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /siːn̪/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /sᵊ/

Letter

س • (sīn)

1. The eighteenth letter of Punjabi in the Shahmukhi script.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ژ (žē)
• Next letter: ش (šīn)

Sindhi

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /siːn/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س • (sīn)

1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Sindhi abjad.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ز
• Next letter: ش

Urdu

Pronunciation

• (letter name): (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /siːn/
• (phoneme): (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س • (sīn)

1. The eighteenth letter of the Urdu abjad.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ژ (ź)
• Next letter: ش (ś)

Uyghur

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /se/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س • (se)

1. The thirteenth letter of the Uyghur alphabet.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ژ (zh)
• Next letter: ش (sh)

Yoruba

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /sí/
• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /s/

Letter

س (s)

1. The twentieth letter of the Yoruba alphabet in the ajami script, equivalent to Latin script s.

Forms

Isolated form	Final form	Medial form	Initial form
س	ـس	ـسـ	سـ

See also

• Previous letter: ر
• Next letter: ش