hamza

hamza A sign ((l)(L) - a stand-alone hamza) used in the written Arabic language representing a glottal stop. Hamza may appear as a stand-alone letter or most commonly over or under other letters, e.g. (l)(L) (over an alif - (l)(L)), (l)(L) (under an alif), (l)(L) (over a waw wāw - (l)(L)) or (l)(L) (over a dotless yaa yāʾ - (l)(L)). The exact seat of hamza is governed by an orthographic rule - "seat of hamza rule".