tsade

The origin of {{transl|sem|ṣade}} is unclear. It may have come from a Proto-Sinaitic script based on a pictogram of a plant, perhaps a papyrus plant, or a fish hook (in Modern Hebrew, {{lang|he|צד}} {{transl|he|tsad}} means "[he] hunt[ed]", and in Arabic {{lang|ar|صاد}} {{transl|ar|ṣād}} means "[he] hunted"). The form of the Arabic letter ṣād may be formed from a ligature of dotless nūn and the bottom part of the letter ṭa.

{{See also2|the derived letter {{noitalic|{{lang|ar|ض}}}} ({{transl|ar|DIN|ḍād}}).}}

{{Infobox grapheme

| name = ṣād صاد

| letter = ص

| script = Arabic script

| type = Abjad

| language = Arabic language

| phonemes = {{IPAlink|sˤ}}

| alphanumber = 14

| direction = Right-to-left

| fam2 = 𐡑

| fam3 = 𐢙

| fam1 = 𐤑

| equivalents = ṣ

}}The letter is named {{Transl|ar|DIN|ṣād}} and in Modern Standard Arabic is pronounced {{IPA|/sˤ/}}.

It is written in several ways depending in its position in the word:

{{Arabic alphabet shapes|ص}}

Chapter 38 of the Quran is named for this letter, which begins the chapter.

The phoneme is not native to Persian, Ottoman Turkish, or Urdu, and its pronunciation in Arabic loanwords in those languages is not distinguishable from {{lang|ar|س}} {{IPA|/s/}} or {{lang|ar|ث}} {{IPA|/θ/}}, all of which are pronounced {{IPAblink|s}}.

Hebrew spelling: {{lang|he|צָדִי}} or {{lang|he|צָדֵי}}.

In Hebrew, the letter's name is tsadi or ṣadi, depending on whether the letter is transliterated as Modern Israeli "ts" or Tiberian "ṣ". Alternatively, it can be called tsadik or ṣadik, spelled צָדִּיק, influenced by its Yiddish name tsadek and the Hebrew word tzadik.

{{transl|he|Ṣadi}}, like kaph, mem, pe, and nun, has a final form, used at the end of words. Its shape changes from {{Script/Hebrew|צ}} to {{Script/Hebrew|ץ}}.

In Modern Hebrew, צ tsade represents a voiceless alveolar affricate {{IPAslink|t͡s}}. This is the same in Yiddish. Historically, it represented either a pharyngealized {{IPA|/sˤ/}} or an affricate such as the modern Hebrew pronunciation or the Ge’ez {{IPAblink|t͡sʼ}};{{Cite journal |last=Steiner |first=Richard |date=1982 |title=Affricated Sade in the Semitic Languages |journal=The American Academy for Jewish Research, Research Monograph Series |volume=3}} which became {{IPAblink|t͡s}} in Ashkenazi pronunciation. A geresh can also be placed after tsade ({{Script/Hebrew|צ׳ ; ץ׳}}), giving it the sound {{IPAblink|t͡ʃ}} (or, in a hypercorrected pronunciation, a pharyngealized {{IPAblink|ʃˤ}}), e.g. {{Script/Hebrew|צִ׳יפְּס}} chips.

Ṣade appears as {{IPA|[sˤ]}} amongst Yemenite Jews and other Jews from the Middle East.

Some Sephardi Jews pronounce {{Script|Hebr|צ}} like a regular s, and this is the sound value it has in Judaeo-Spanish, as in "masa" (matzo) or "sadik" (tzadik).

In gematria, {{transl|he|ṣadi}} represents the number 90. Its final form represents 900, but this is rarely used, taw, taw, and qof (400+400+100) being used instead.

As an abbreviation, it stands for ṣafon, north.

{{transl|he|Ṣadi}} is also one of the seven letters that receive special crowns (called tagin) when written in a Sefer Torah. See shin, ‘ayin, {{transl|he|tet}}, nun, zayin, and gimmel.

Hebrew {{lang|he|צ}} {{transl|he|tsadi}} corresponds to the letters {{lang|ar|ظ}} {{transl|ar|DIN|ẓāʾ}}, {{lang|ar|ص}} {{transl|ar|DIN|ṣād}}, and {{lang|ar|ض}} {{transl|ar|DIN|ḍād}} in Arabic

; Examples:

• {{lang|ar|ظ}} {{transl|ar|DIN|ẓāʾ}}: the word for "thirst" in Classical Arabic is {{lang|ar|ظمأ}} {{transl|ar|DIN|ẓamaʾ}} and {{lang|he|צמא}} {{transl|he|tsama}} in Hebrew.
• {{lang|ar|ص}} {{transl|ar|DIN|ṣād}}: the word for "Egypt" in Classical Arabic is {{lang|ar|مصر}} {{transl|ar|DIN|miṣr}} and {{lang|he|מצרים}} {{transl|he|mitsrayim}} in Hebrew.
• {{lang|ar|ض}} {{transl|ar|DIN|ḍād}}: the word for "egg" in Classical Arabic is {{lang|ar|بيضة}} {{transl|ar|DIN|bayḍah}} and {{lang|he|ביצה}} {{transl|he|betsah}} in Hebrew.

When representing this sound in transliteration of Arabic into Hebrew, it is written as {{lang|he|צ}} {{transl|he|tsade}} or {{lang|he|ס׳‎}} samekh with a geresh.

{{Arabic alphabet shapes|ܨ‎}}

{{charmap

|05E6|name1=Hebrew Letter Tsadi

|05E5|name2=Hebrew Letter Final Tsadi

|0635|name3=Arabic Letter Sad

|0728|name4=Syriac Letter Sadhe

|0811|name5=Samaritan Letter Tsaadiy

}}

{{charmap

|10395|name1=Ugaritic Letter Sade

|10851|name2=Imperial Aramaic Letter Sadhe

|10911|name3=Phoenician Letter Sade

}}

• Ṣ
• Z → Usage
• Tse (Cyrillic)

{{commons category|Tsade (letter)}}{{Arabic language}}{{Hebrew language}}

{{Northwest Semitic abjad}}

Category:Phoenician alphabet

Category:Arabic letters

Category:Hebrew letters

Category:Urdu letters

Category:Letters with final form