Nūn
/nuːn/noun
Nūn is the name of the Arabic letter ن and, in Islamic tradition, one of the mysterious isolated letters opening certain Qur’anic chapters.
Did you know?In Qur’an 68:1, nūn appears as an isolated letter, and classical scholars debated whether it referred to a cosmic fish, an ink vessel, or a divine mystery.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*nūn
“Traditionally reconstructed as the name of a letter associated with a fish, though the ultimate origin is debated.”
Ancient South Semitic
South Arabian
𐩬
“A consonantal letter corresponding to /n/.”
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
נון (nūn)
“The name of the letter נ, traditionally connected with “fish.””
Ancient Aramaic
Aramaic
נון (nūn)
“The letter-name for /n/, inherited within the Northwest Semitic alphabetic tradition.”
7th Century
Classical Arabic
نُون (nūn)
“The Arabic letter ن, pronounced /n/; also used as an enigmatic Qur’anic initial.”
Modern English
English
nūn
“A transliteration of the Arabic or Hebrew letter-name, especially in linguistic, religious, and scholarly contexts.”