aa

See also: Appendix:Variations of "aa"

Languages (53)

Translingual • English

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Acholi • Balinese • Bavarian • Bughotu • Dutch • East Central German • Estonian • Finnish • French • Gagauz • Hiligaynon • Indonesian • Inupiaq • Ipai • Italian • Japanese • Javanese • Kankanaey • Kumeyaay • Ladin • Latvian • Lithuanian • Lun Bawang • Lutuv • Malay • Manx • Mbya Guarani • Middle English • Middle Welsh • Murui Huitoto • Mwotlap • Navajo • Northern Sami • Norwegian • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Nuxalk • Old Galician-Portuguese • Paraujano • Pennsylvania German • Scots • Stoney • Sundanese • Swedish • Tagalog • Tipai • Tlingit • Võro • Votic • Yoruba • Zyphe

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Abbreviation of English Afar or Afar qafár.

Symbol

aa

1. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Afar.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Afar terms

English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Polynesian *kaha

Proto-Polynesian *kakaha

Hawaiian ʻaʻābor.

English aa

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻaʻā.

Alternative forms

• a'a, 'a'a, 'a'ā, a-a, a aa, a-aa

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɑː.ɑː/, [ˈɑː.ʔɑː], enPR: äʹä

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɑ.ɑ/, [ˈɑ.ʔɑ]

Noun

aa (uncountable)

1. (volcanology) A form of lava flow associated with Hawaiian-type volcanoes, consisting of basaltic rock, usually dark-colored with a jagged and loose, clinkery surface. Compare pahoehoe. [From 19^th c.]
   • 1859, R. C. Haskell, American journal of science and arts, series XXVIII:

     We...saw ‘pahoihoi’ or solid lava forming, and also ‘aa’ or clinkers.

   • 1944, Charles A. Cotton, Volcanoes as landscape forms:

     Cooling and solidification frequently takes a different course [...] in lava flows, producing the clinker-like ‘aa’ lava.

   • 1981, Hilo Lava Flood Control: Environmental Impact Statement, page 194:

     Both pahoehoe and aa lava flows are common on the upper slopes of Mauna Loa with a preponderance of aa flows found at the lower elevations.

Translations

a form of lava flow associated with Hawaiian-type volcanoes

• Afrikaans: aälawa (af)
• Danish: apalhraun n
• Dutch: scherpe lava (nl) m or f, aa-lava m or f
• Estonian: aa-laava (et)
• Faroese: bøklalava n
• Finnish: aa-laava
• German: Aa-Lava (de) f, Brockenlava f
• Hawaiian: ʻaʻā
• Icelandic: apalhraun (is) n
• Irish: aa m
• Italian: àa (it) f
• Korean: 아아 (ko) (aa)

Etymology 2

Abbreviation.

Noun

aa

1. Initialism of acetic acid.
2. Initialism of acting age.
3. (medicine) Initialism of alveolar-arterial.
4. Initialism of aminoacetone.
5. Initialism of amino acid.
6. Initialism of approximate absolute.
7. Initialism of arachidonic acid.
8. Initialism of armature accelerator.
9. Initialism of ascending aorta.
10. Initialism of atomic absorption.
11. Initialism of author's alteration.
12. Initialism of average audience.

Adjective

aa (not comparable)

1. Initialism of arctic-alpine.
2. Initialism of always afloat.

Etymology 3

Compare pp.

Noun

aa pl (plural only)

1. Abbreviation of adjectives.
2. Abbreviation of arteries.

Etymology 4

Contraction.

Adjective

aa

1. Abbreviation of ana (“of each, equal parts”).

Etymology 5

Pronoun

aa

1. (Northumbria, personal) I.

Acholi

Verb

aa

1. to get up, to move after staying still
2. to move away, to go away, to get lost
3. to originate from, to come from (used in past tense)

Verb

aa (passive voice)

1. to have originated from, to have come from (used in past tense)
2. to have commenced from, to have started from

Verb

aa

1. to originate from, to come from (used in non-past tense)
2. to commence from, to start from

References

• Blackings, Mairi John (2009), Acholi English – English Acholi Dictionary‎^[1], Munich: LINCOM GmbH, →ISBN, pages 1-2

Balinese

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀa.

Noun

aa (Balinese script ᬳᬳᭂ)

1. fig (Ficus roxburghii)

References

• “aa”, in Balinese–Indonesian Dictionary [Kamus Bahasa Bali–Indonesia] (in Balinese), Denpasar, Indonesia: The Linguistic Center of Bali Province [Balai Bahasa Provinsi Bali].

Bavarian

Alternative forms

• ah (spelling variant)

Etymology

From Old High German ouh, from Proto-Germanic *auk. Cognates include German auch, Dutch ook, Old Norse ok, also archaic English eke.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/
• Homophones: a, ah
• Rhymes: -aː

Adverb

aa

1. also; too; as well; either; neither (in addition to whatever or whoever has previously been listed)

   I wui aa a Eis. ― Stress on “aa”: I too want icecream.

   I wui aa a Eis. ― Stress on “Eis”: I want icecream, too.

   Schåff ma des aa? ― Stress on “aa”: Can we do that too?

2. Used for emphasis.
   1. To confirm a preceding statement: really, actually, indeed, in fact, exactly (always unstressed)

      A jeder håd se dåcht, dåss er ned kummt, und so woar's aa. ― Everybody thought that he wouldn't come, and that's exactly what happened.

      I håb ka Ångst, es gibt jå aa kan Grund. ― I'm not scared, there really is no reason to be.

   2. To confirm a preceding statement by someone else: really, actually, indeed, in fact

      I wui aa a Eis. ― Stress on “wui”: I do indeed want icecream.

      Des is aa so. ― Stress on “is”: It really is like that.

   3. Emphasis on a preceding conjunction (often with no) (always stressed)

      Des Essn håd eana ned gschmeckt und mia aa ned. ― They didn't like the food and neither did I.

      I håb heit vui z'tuan und zan Årzt muaß i aa. ― I'm very busy today and I also have to go to the doctor.

      Er håd ned nur s'Gödbeasl, sondern aa no de Augnglasln ausgstraat. ― He not only lost his wallet, but also his glasses.

   4. Emphasis on a preceding negative statement: even (always stressed)

      Synonym: ned amoi

      Då håd kana wås måchn kenna, aa ka Årzt. ― Nobody could do anything, not even a doctor.

   5. Implies doubt in a yes-no question really (always unstressed)

      Kånn i des aa glaubn? ― Can I really believe this?

      Håst da des aa guad iwalegt? ― Have you really thought this through?

      Schåff ma des aa? ― Can we really do that?

   6. To imply that something is unreasonable; also used when expressing reproach, anger, astonishment, etc. (always unstressed)

      Wås miassn de aa ålle då durchfoahrn?! ― Why do they all have to pass through here?!

      Du muasst aa immer bei jedn Bledsinn mitmåchn. ― You always have to take part in any nonsense, don't you?

      Wäul's aa nia de Pappn hoidn kennts! ― That's because you never shut up!

3. (implying an extreme example in the case mentioned, as compared to the implied reality): even (always stressed)

   Synonym: sogår

   Aa wånn's woahr is, is's no ka endguitiger Beweis. ― Even if this is true, it is no definite proof.

   Mia is des aa scho amoi passiert. ― It even happened to me once.

4. as in whatever, whenever, however, etc. ever (always unstressed)

   Wås'd aa tuast, ana is immer besser. ― Whatever you do, someone will always do it better.

Bughotu

Verb

aa

1. to open
2. to be open
3. to open mouth

References

• W. Ivens, Bugotu-English/English-Bugotu Concise Dictionary (1998)

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

aa f (plural aa's, diminutive aatje n)

1. (especially in names) alternative spelling of a

East Central German

Etymology

Compare German ein.

Article

aa

1. (Erzgebirgisch) a, an

Further reading

• Hendrik Heidler (11 June 2020), Hendrik Heidler's 400 Seiten: Echtes Erzgebirgisch: Wuu de Hasen Hoosn haaßn un de Hosen Huusn do sei mir drhamm: Das Original Wörterbuch: Ratgeber und Fundgrube der erzgebirgischen Mund- und Lebensart: Erzgebirgisch – Deutsch / Deutsch – Erzgebirgisch‎^[2] (in German), 3. geänderte Auflage edition, Norderstedt: BoD – Books on Demand, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 13

Estonian

Interjection

aa

1. An interjection expressing recognition -

   Aa, see oled sina.

   Oh, it's you.

2. An interjection expressing understanding -

   Aa, saan aru.

   Ah, I understand.

Noun

aa (genitive aa, partitive aad)

1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

Further reading

• “aa”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

Finnish

Etymology 1

From Latin ā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/, [ˈɑ̝ː]
• Rhymes: -ɑː
• Syllabification^(key): aa
• Hyphenation^(key): aa

Noun

aa

1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a, called ay in English.

Usage notes

• Speakers often use the corresponding forms of a-kirjain (“letter A, letter a”) instead of inflecting this word, especially in plural.

Declension

Inflection of aa (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)
nominative		aa	aat
genitive		aan	aiden aitten
partitive		aata	aita
illative		aahan	aihin
		singular	plural
nominative		aa	aat
accusative	nom.	aa	aat
	gen.	aan
genitive		aan	aiden aitten
partitive		aata	aita
inessive		aassa	aissa
elative		aasta	aista
illative		aahan	aihin
adessive		aalla	ailla
ablative		aalta	ailta
allative		aalle	aille
essive		aana	aina
translative		aaksi	aiksi
abessive		aatta	aitta
instructive		—	ain
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of aa (Kotus type 18/maa, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative aani aani accusative nom. aani aani gen. aani genitive aani aideni aitteni partitive aatani aitani inessive aassani aissani elative aastani aistani illative aahani aihini adessive aallani aillani ablative aaltani ailtani allative aalleni ailleni essive aanani ainani translative aakseni aikseni abessive aattani aittani instructive — — comitative — aineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative aasi aasi accusative nom. aasi aasi gen. aasi genitive aasi aidesi aittesi partitive aatasi aitasi inessive aassasi aissasi elative aastasi aistasi illative aahasi aihisi adessive aallasi aillasi ablative aaltasi ailtasi allative aallesi aillesi essive aanasi ainasi translative aaksesi aiksesi abessive aattasi aittasi instructive — — comitative — ainesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative aamme aamme accusative nom. aamme aamme gen. aamme genitive aamme aidemme aittemme partitive aatamme aitamme inessive aassamme aissamme elative aastamme aistamme illative aahamme aihimme adessive aallamme aillamme ablative aaltamme ailtamme allative aallemme aillemme essive aanamme ainamme translative aaksemme aiksemme abessive aattamme aittamme instructive — — comitative — ainemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative aanne aanne accusative nom. aanne aanne gen. aanne genitive aanne aidenne aittenne partitive aatanne aitanne inessive aassanne aissanne elative aastanne aistanne illative aahanne aihinne adessive aallanne aillanne ablative aaltanne ailtanne allative aallenne aillenne essive aananne ainanne translative aaksenne aiksenne abessive aattanne aittanne instructive — — comitative — ainenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative aansa aansa accusative nom. aansa aansa gen. aansa genitive aansa aidensa aittensa partitive aataan aatansa aitaan aitansa inessive aassaan aassansa aissaan aissansa elative aastaan aastansa aistaan aistansa illative aahansa aihinsa adessive aallaan aallansa aillaan aillansa ablative aaltaan aaltansa ailtaan ailtansa allative aalleen aallensa ailleen aillensa essive aanaan aanansa ainaan ainansa translative aakseen aaksensa aikseen aiksensa abessive aattaan aattansa aittaan aittansa instructive — — comitative — aineen ainensa

Synonyms

• a-kirjain

Derived terms

• aakkonen

compounds

• aanelonen

Etymology 2

Either crosslinguistic or borrowed from any of the many European languages it appears in.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/, [ˈɑ̝ː]
• Rhymes: -ɑː
• Syllabification^(key): aa
• Hyphenation^(key): aa

Interjection

aa

1. oh, ah (expression of recognition, realization, understanding, etc.)

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻaʻā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.a/

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Noun

aa m (plural aas)

1. (geology, often attributive) the surface of an aa lava flow

Gagauz

Etymology

Inherited from Old Anatolian Turkish آغْ (aġ), from Proto-Turkic *āg. Compare Turkish ağ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑː/

Noun

aa (definite accusative [please provide], plural aalar)

1. seine, net
2. web

References

• Kopuşçu M. İ., Todorova S. A., Kiräkova T.İ., editors (2019), Gagauzça-rusça sözlük: klaslar 5-12, Komrat: Gagauziya M.V. Maruneviç adına Bilim-Aaraştırma merkezi, →ISBN, page 8

Hiligaynon

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaˈʔaʔ/ [ʔaˈʔaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Hyphenation: a‧a

Interjection

aâ

1. an exclamation employed to prevent other people from touching things that they should not

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʔaʔa/ [ˈʔa.ʔa]
• Rhymes: -aʔa
• Hyphenation: a‧a

Interjection

aa

1. an exclamation of sorrow, grief, or anguish; ah!; alas!

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Sundanese aa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.a/, [ˈa.(ʔ)a]

Noun

aa (plural aa-aa)

1. older brother

Synonyms

• (older brother): see Thesaurus:abang

Inupiaq

Etymology 1

Interjection

aa

1. yes, I know
2. I agree: expresses listener's agreement with storyteller or speaker

Derived terms

• aaqanuq

Etymology 2

Interjection

aa

1. expresses exasperation, criticism or dismay over what another person does or says, said in breathy voice
2. expression of surprise or awe

Derived terms

• aakhaa
• aallaalii

Ipai

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Kumeyaay aa, Tipai aa, and Havasupai-Walapai-Yavapai yá.

Noun

aa

1. (anatomy) mouth, lips, beak
2. language

References

• Amy Miller; Margaret Langdon (2008), Barona Inter-Tribal Dictionary: ʼIipay Aa Tiipay Aa Uumall, Barona Museum Press, →ISBN, page 236
• Ted Couro; Christina Hutcheson (1973), Dictionary of Mesa Grande Diegueño, Banning, California: Malki Museum Press, page 7
• 'Iipay Aa Living Dictionary‎^[3], Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming, 2026

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian ʻaʻā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.a/
• Rhymes: -aa
• Hyphenation: à‧a

Noun

aa f (invariable)

1. (volcanology) aa (type of lava flow)

   Synonym: afrolite

Further reading

• “aa”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026
• “aa” in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication

Japanese

Romanization

aa

1. Rōmaji transcription of ああ

Javanese

Romanization

aa

1. romanization of ꦲꦲ

Kankanaey

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔaˈa/ [ʔʌˈa] (“amazement”)
  • Rhymes: -a
• IPA^(key): /ˈʔaa/ [ˈʔaː.ʌ] (“go to the devil”)
  • Rhymes: -aa
• Syllabification: a‧a

Interjection

aá

1. ah! (denoting amazement)

Noun

áa

1. (derogatory) act of going to the devil

Derived terms

• inaa
• inaadaka

References

• Morice Vanoverbergh (1933), “aa”, in A Dictionary of Lepanto Igorot or Kankanay. As it is spoken at Bauco (Linguistische Anthropos-Bibliothek; XII)‎^[4], Mödling bei Wien, St. Gabriel, Österreich: Verlag der Internationalen Zeitschrift „Anthropos“, →OCLC, page 1

Kumeyaay

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Ipai aa, Tipai aa, and Havasupai-Walapai-Yavapai yá.

Noun

aa

1. (anatomy) mouth
2. language

References

• Amy Miller; Margaret Langdon (2008), Barona Inter-Tribal Dictionary: ʼIipay Aa Tiipay Aa Uumall, Barona Museum Press, →ISBN, page 236
• 'Iipay Aa Living Dictionary‎^[5], Sycuan Institute on Tribal Gaming, 2026

Ladin

Etymology

From Latin ārea. Compare Italian aia.

Noun

aa f (plural [please provide])

1. farmyard
2. threshing floor

Latvian

Interjection

aa

1. yeah, uh-huh (expression of agreement, understanding)

   - Vai vēlies ēst? – Aa.

   - Do you want to eat? - Yeah.

Lithuanian

Etymology

Compare Russian ага (aga), and English uh-huh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɐ.ˈɐ]
  • Rhymes: -ɐ
  • Syllabification: a‧à
• IPA^(key): [ɐ.²ˈɑː]
  • Rhymes: -ɑː
  • Syllabification: a‧ã

Interjection

aà, aã

1. yeah, uh-huh (expression of agreement)

   - Ar̃ nóri válgyti? – Aà.

   - Do you want to eat? - Yeah.

Synonyms

• taip

Further reading

• “aa”, in Lietuvių kalbos žodynas [Dictionary of the Lithuanian language], lkz.lt, 1941–2026

Lun Bawang

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɔː/

Determiner

aa

1. no, not, without

Synonyms

• na, naa

Lutuv

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *ʔaar, from Proto-Tibeto-Burman *haːr

Noun

aa

1. chicken

Malay

Particle

aa

1. (text messaging, Internet slang) alternative form of -lah
   • 2024 February 24, @syynysa, X‎^[6] (post), archived from the original on 6-2-2026:

     pening aa setiap sem nk kena tukar kelas

     [Peninglah, setiap semester nak kena tukar kelas.]

     I'm so bewildered that every semester need to change classroom.

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish oä, comparative form of oäc, from Proto-Celtic *yuwankos (compare Welsh ieuanc), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuh₁n̥ḱós (compare English young).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛː/

Adjective

aa

1. comparative degree of aeg (“young, adolescent, immature”)

Mbya Guarani

Adverb

aa

1. here

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse á, from Proto-Germanic *ahwō (“water, stream”). Doublet of ee.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Noun

aa

1. (Late Middle English, hapax legomenon) river, stream (in place name)

References

• “ā, n.²”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.a/, /aː/

Verb

aa

1. alternative form of a, third-person singular present indicative of mynet

Murui Huitoto

Alternative forms

• a (superseded)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈaː]
• Hyphenation: aa

Adverb

aa

1. up, above

Related terms

• a-

References

• Shirley Burtch (1983), Diccionario Huitoto Murui (Tomo I) (Linguistica Peruana No. 20)‎^[7] (in Spanish), Yarinacocha, Peru: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, page 19
• Katarzyna Izabela Wojtylak (2017), A grammar of Murui (Bue): a Witotoan language of Northwest Amazonia.‎^[8], Townsville: James Cook University press (PhD thesis), page 145

Mwotlap

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Interjection

aa

1. Discourse particle placed at the end of a topic phrase, meant to ensure that the addressee identifies a shared referent: right?; you see?; you know?

   Ēgnōn Jon, a Anē en aa?

   John's wife, Annie, you see?

   • 1998, Hansel, “The dancing Dead”, in Traditional narrative‎^[9]:

     N-et vitwag a– mi gēn gōh en aa, kē n-ēh laptō!

     And that human who's amongst us, y'know? Well, I'm sure he's still alive!

References

• François, Alexandre (2026), “aa”, in Online Mwotlap–English–French cultural dictionary‎^[10] (electronic files; overall work in English and French), Paris: CNRS

  PDF version

Navajo

Postposition

aa

1. third-person indefinite of baa

Northern Sami

Interjection

aa

1. no

Norwegian

Letter

aa

1. obsolete spelling of å

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• å (current standard spelling)

Etymology

From the historical Danish–Norwegian digraph ⟨aa⟩, used to represent the long vowel descended from Old Norse á /ɑː/. The doubling of ⟨a⟩ originally indicated vowel length. In mainland Scandinavian, the vowel became rounded to /ɔː/ and was subsequently raised to /oː/ in many varieties.

The Swedish letter ⟨å⟩ developed graphically by writing the second ⟨a⟩ above the first, where it was eventually reduced to a ring. Norwegian retained ⟨aa⟩ for several centuries under Danish orthographic influence, until ⟨å⟩ officially replaced it through the spelling reform of 1917.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /oː/
• Rhymes: -oː
• Homophones: Aa, Å, å
• Hyphenation: aa

Letter

aa m (upper case Aa, definite singular aa-en, indefinite plural aa-er, definite plural aa-ene)

1. (superseded in 1917) alternative form of å (“the letter å”)

Usage notes

• The spelling ⟨aa⟩ was replaced by ⟨å⟩ in ordinary Norwegian words and official place names in 1917.
• It remains in established personal names and certain other proper names, such as Haakon and Aase.
• It may also be used as a substitute for ⟨å⟩ when that character is unavailable.
• When ⟨aa⟩ represents ⟨å⟩, it is alphabetized together with ⟨å⟩ at the end of the Norwegian alphabet rather than as two separate instances of ⟨a⟩.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bokstav; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z, Æ æ, Ø ø, Å å

References

• “å” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “å” in Norwegian Academy Dictionary (NAOB).
• “aa (bokstav)”, Store norske leksikon
• “norsk alfabet”, Store norske leksikon
• “Kvifor har vi æ, ø og å i alfabetet?”, Språkrådet

Norwegian Nynorsk

Alternative forms

• Aa (letter and noun, upper case)

Conjunction

aa

1. obsolete spelling of å (pronunciation spelling of og)

Interjection

aa

1. obsolete typography of å

Letter

aa (upper case Aa)

1. obsolete typography of å

Noun

aa f (definite singular aai, indefinite plural aaer or aair, definite plural aaerne or aaine)

1. obsolete typography of å

Particle

aa

1. obsolete typography of å

Preposition

aa

1. obsolete typography of å

References

• Ivar Aasen (1850), “aa”, in Ordbog over det norske Folkesprog (in Danish), Oslo: Samlaget, published 2000

Nuxalk

Pronunciation

• (phoneme): IPA^(key): /aː/, [âː]

Letter

aa (lower case, upper case Aa, all caps AA)

1. The second letter of the Nuxalk alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Aa aa, C c, Cw cw, H h, I i, Ii ii, K k, Kʼ kʼ, Kw kw, Kwʼ kwʼ, L l, Lh lh, M m, N n, P p, Pʼ pʼ, Q q, Qʼ qʼ, Qw qw, Qwʼ qwʼ, S s, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tlʼ tlʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Uu uu, W w, X x, Xw xw, Y y, 7

Old Galician-Portuguese

Etymology 1

Alternative forms

• à

Contraction

aa f

1. contraction of a +‎ a, literally “to/at the”
   • a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 294 (facsimile):

     [C]omo hũa moller q̇ iogaua os dados en pulla lançou hũa pedra aa omagen de ſṫa maṙi[a] poꝛ q̇ perdera ⁊ parou un angeo de pedra que y eſtaua a mão ⁊ reçibiu o colpe.

     [H]ow a woman who was playing the dices in Apulia threw a stone at the statue of Holy Mary because she had lost, and an angel of stone which was there reached out its hand and received the blow.

Descendants

• Galician: á
• Portuguese: à

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-?

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs-

Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱs-i-s

Proto-Italic *aksis

Latin axis

Latin *axla

Latin ala

Old Galician-Portuguese aa

Inherited from Latin ala (“wing”).

Noun

aa f (plural aas)

1. wing
   • a. 1284, Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, Códice de los músicos, cantiga 142 (facsimile):

     ⁊ dun gran colbe aa lle bꝛitou

     And with a powerful blow, broke its wing

Descendants

• Galician: á
• Portuguese: á

Paraujano

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaː/
• Rhymes: -aː
• Syllabification: aa

Adverb

aa

1. there (far from the speaker)

References

• Álvarez, José; Bravo, María (2008), “aa”, in Diccionario básico de la lengua añú [Basic dictionary of the Añú language]‎^[11], Maracaibo, Venezuela: University of Zulia, →ISBN, page 41.

Pennsylvania German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔː/
• Rhymes: -ɔː
• Homophone: ah

Etymology 1

From Old High German ouh, from Proto-Germanic *auk; cognate with German auch, Dutch ook, Old English ēac.

Alternative forms

• auch (literary)

Adverb

aa

1. also, too

   aa du, Brutus?

   et tu, Brute?

   • 2004, Ammon Weber, edited by C. Richard Baum, Joshua R. Brown, The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary, volume 1, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543-9516: Masthof Press, →ISBN, page 1:

     Ich bin mol in der Busche gange. Ich bin aa. / Ich hab mei Ax mitgenumme. Ich hab aa. / Ich hab en Baam umghackt. Ich hab aa. / Ich hab ihn heemgschleeft. Ich hab aa. / Ich hab en Seidrog rausgmacht. Ich hab aa. / Die Sei hen rausgfresse. Ich hab aa.

     I went into the woods. I did, too. / I took my axe with me. I did, too. / I chopped down a tree. I did, too. / I dragged it home. I did, too. / I made a pig feeding though out of it. I did, too. / The pigs ate out of it. I did, too.

   • 2004, Abner F. Beiler, edited by C. Richard Baum, Joshua R. Brown, The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary, volume 1, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543-9516: Masthof Press, →ISBN, page 1:

     Ich will aa mit.

     I want to go along also.

2. to be sure, certainly, indeed
   • 2004, C. Richard Baum, Joshua R. Brown, The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary, volume 1, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543-9516: Masthof Press, →ISBN, page 1:

     Ich denk awwer aa! … Kummt er aa?

     Well, I am sure! … Will he be sure to come?

Interjection

aa

1. (rare) to be sure!

   Synonyms: allerdings, doch, freilich, ei, ya

Etymology 2

From Old High German ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“up, on high”). Compare German an, Dutch aan, English on.

Adverb

aa

1. on (of a light)
   • 1925 May 4, Pumpernickel Bill (William Stahley Troxell), The Allentown Morning Call‎^[12]; republished as C. Richard Baum, Joshua R. Brown, editors, The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary, volume 1, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543-9516: Masthof Press, 2004, →ISBN, page 1:

     Wie er nayer on der Hall kumma is hot er gsehna os noch ken lichter aw sin.

     As he approached the hall, he saw he didn't have any lights on anymore.

2. in session (of a school)
   • 2004, C. Richard Baum, Joshua R. Brown, The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary, volume 1, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543-9516: Masthof Press, →ISBN, page 1:

     Molly, iss die Schul schunn aa?

     Molly, has the school already taken in?

3. burning (of a fire)
   • 1922, Harry Hower, Pennsylvania Dutch Dictionary; republished as C. Richard Baum, Joshua R. Brown, editors, The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary, volume 1, 219 Mill Road, Morgantown, PA 19543-9516: Masthof Press, 2004, →ISBN, page 1:

     Iss es Feier aa?

     Is the fire burning?

4. on, starting

   vun heit aa ― from today on

References

• Beam, C. R., Brown, J. R., & Trout, J. L. (2004). The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary: Vol. 1 (A) (1st ed.). Masthof Press.
• Pennsylvania Dutch Dictionary. (n.d.). https://padutchdictionary.com/#q=aa

Scots

Adjective

aa

1. Shetland form of a' (“all”)

References

• “aa, adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC.

Stoney

Noun

aa

1. mould, mildew

Sundanese

Etymology

alternative form of akang

Noun

aa (Sundanese spelling ᮃᮃ)

1. (childish, familiar) older brother

Swedish

Alternative forms

• a
• aaa
• aaaa

Etymology

A relaxed pronunciation of ja.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²ɑːa/

Adverb

aa (not comparable)

1. (colloquial) Expresses agreement or affirmation; yeah, yes

   Antonym: nä

   – Det är gott med pizza. – Aa, de äre.

   – Pizza is good. – Yeah, it is.

   – Såg du tricket han gjorde? – Aa, helt sjukt!

   – Did you see the trick he did? – Yeah, crazy!

   – Har du matat kaninerna? – Aa, det har jag.

   – Have you fed the rabbits? – Yes, I have.

Usage notes

Often doubly emphasized – compare mhm.

Tagalog

Etymology 1

From the reduplication of Hokkien 齷 / 龌 (ak, “dirty”), according to Manuel (1948). Compare Indonesian eek. False cognate of Greenlandic a'a.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaˈʔaʔ/ [ʔɐˈʔaʔ], /ˈʔaʔaʔ/ [ˈʔaː.ʔɐʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ, -aʔaʔ
• Syllabification: a‧a

Noun

aâ or aà (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜀ) (childish)

1. dirty things; filth (especially feces)

   Synonyms: dumi, ate, atse, tsetse, ipot, uo

Derived terms

• mag-aa
• umaa

Etymology 2

Compare Hiligaynon aa.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔaʔa/ [ˈʔaː.ʔɐ]
• Rhymes: -aʔa
• Syllabification: a‧a

Interjection

aa (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜀ)

1. an exclamation expressing warning

See also

• ala
• hala
• sige

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ʔaˈʔaʔ/ [ʔɐˈʔaʔ]
• Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: a‧a

Noun

aâ (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜀ) (obsolete)

1. name of the Baybayin letter ᜀ, corresponding to "a"

See also

• a

Further reading

• “aa”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018
• Manuel, E. Arsenio (1948), Chinese elements in the Tagalog language: with some indication of Chinese influence on other Philippine languages and cultures and an excursion into Austronesian linguistics, Manila: Filipiniana Publications, page 12
• Douglas, Carstairs (1873), “ok [R. ak, dirty].”, in Chinese-English Dictionary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Amoy, with the Principal Variations of the Chang-chew and Chin-chew Dialects. (overall work in Hokkien and English), London: Trübner & Co., page 352; New Edition, With Corrections by the Author., Thomas Barclay, 林燕臣 [Lîm Iàn-sîn], London: Publishing Office of the Presbyterian Church of England, 1899, page 352
• Santos, Fr. Domingo de los (1835), Vocabulario de la lengua Tagala, primera y segunda parte. En la primera, se pone primero el Castellano, y despues el Tagalo. Y en la segunda al contrario, que son las raíces simples con sus acentos. [Vocabulary of the Tagalog language, first and second parts. In the first part, Spanish is listed first, followed by Tagalog. In the second part, the opposite is true, with simple roots and their accents.]‎^[13] (overall work in Spanish and Classical Tagalog), Manila: La Imprenta nueva de D. José María Dayot, por Tomás Oliva. [The new Printing Press of Sir José María Dayot, by Tomás Oliva.]
• San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte. [Vocabulary of the Tagalog language. Castilian Romance placed first. First, and second parts.]‎^[14] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag. [The noble Villa of Pila, by Tomás Pinpin and Domingo Loag.], page 1:

  A) AA yaon (pc) la primera letra del. a.b.c. Tagalog. Eſta letra A. ſegun. S. Iſidoro (lib.r. Ethimolo) es la primera letra de todas las lẽguas. Los Latinos y Eſpañoles ſolos la nombran, como la eſcriuen, y la eſcriuen, como la nombran, las de mas naciones no, q̃ ſõ muy diferentes ẽ eſto. Porque el Hebreo la llama Aleph, el Griego. Alpha, el Arabigo. Alipha, &t, y nuestros Tagalos. A ,|, Aayaon ,|; [ᜀ], y eſto [ſolo para] nombralla de porſi, vt, anung ng̃alã [niring] litra? como ſellama eſta letra? ℞, Aayaon, mas en eſcritura, y en lo que hablan, raçonando, [la eſcriuẽ], y [pronuncian] ſimplemẽte, como ſuena, A.

Tipai

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.) Compare Ipai aa, Kumeyaay aa, and Havasupai-Walapai-Yavapai yá.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Noun

aa

1. language
2. (anatomy) mouth

References

• Amy Miller; Margaret Langdon (2008), Barona Inter-Tribal Dictionary: ʼIipay Aa Tiipay Aa Uumall, Barona Museum Press, →ISBN, page 236
• Carlos Gil Burgoin; Rosa María Silva Vega; Beatriz Carrillo Espinoza (2025), Tipey Aa Karkwar 'Ith: Un diccionario bilingüe del kumiay contemporáneo de San José de la Zorra (in Spanish), Autonomous University of Baja California, →ISBN, page 65

Tlingit

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aː/

Letter

aa (upper case Aa)

1. (US) A letter of the Tlingit alphabet, written in the Latin script.

   Synonym: à

See also

• Canada:
• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, À à,  â, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dł dł, Dz dz, E e, É é, È è, Ê ê, G g, Gw gw, Gh gh, Ghw ghw, H h, I i, Í í, Ì ì, Πî, J j, K k, Kw kw, Kʼ kʼ, Kʼw kʼw, Kh kh, Khw khw, Khʼ khʼ, Khʼw khʼw (L l), Ł ł, Łʼ łʼ (M m), N n (O o), S s, Sʼ sʼ, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tl tl, Tlʼ tlʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ú ú, Ù ù, Û û, W w, X x, Xw xw, Xʼ xʼ, Xʼw xʼw, Xh xh, Xhw xhw, Xhʼ xhʼ, Xhʼw xhʼw, Y y (Ÿ ÿ), ․
• US:
• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, Aa aa, Áa áa, Ch ch, Chʼ chʼ, D d, Dl dl, Dz dz, E e, É é, Ee ee, Ée ée, Ei ei, Éi éi, G g, Gw gw, G̱ g̱, G̱w g̱w, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, Kw kw, Kʼ kʼ, Kʼw kʼw, Ḵ ḵ, Ḵw ḵw, Ḵʼ ḵʼ, Ḵʼw ḵʼw, L l, Lʼ lʼ (Ḻ ḻ, M m), N n (O o), Oo oo, Óo óo, S s, Sʼ sʼ, Sh sh, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Tl tl, Tlʼ tlʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ú ú, W w, X x, Xw xw, Xʼ xʼ, Xʼw xʼw, X̱ x̱, X̱w x̱w, X̱ʼ x̱ʼ, X̱ʼw x̱ʼw, Y y (Ÿ ÿ, Y̱ y̱), ․

Võro

Noun

aa (genitive [please provide], partitive [please provide])

1. The name of the Latin script letter A/a.

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Votic

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Russian ага (aga).

Pronunciation

• (Luutsa, Liivčülä) IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/, [ˈɑː]
• (Jõgõperä) IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/, [ˈɑː]
• (Central Votic) IPA^(key): /ˈɑː/, [ˈɑː]
• Rhymes: -ɑː
• Hyphenation: aa

Interjection

aa

1. yep, yeah
2. aha, uh-huh

References

• Hallap, V.; Adler, E.; Grünberg, S.; Leppik, M. (2012), “aa”, in Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language]‎^[15], 2nd edition, Tallinn

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /àá/

Contraction

àá

1. contraction of àwa +‎ á, literally “We'll”

   Àá lọ sí Amẹ́ríkà ní oṣù tí ó ń bọ̀.

   We'll be going to the U.S. next month.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /áá/

Contraction

áá

1. contraction of òun +‎ á, literally “He'll, she'll, it'll”

   Áá rí wa l'ọ́jọ́ márùn-ún òní.

   She'll be seeing us four days from now.

Zyphe

Noun

aa

1. chicken

References

• Samson Alexander Lotven (2021) The Sound Systems of Zophei Dialects and Other Maraic Languages (Dissertation)‎^[16]