Level 4 · Most common Quran words

What Does Aw (أَوْ) Mean in the Quran?

أَوْ
aw
or
Word type
connector

This page studies أَوْ as the written form shown in the mushaf. Attached letters and related inflections are studied separately so the examples stay precise.

In the Quran
280 times

Counted from Barakah’s bundled word-by-word Quran data for this exact written form after vowel marks are removed. Forms with attached letters or pronouns may have their own separate count.

Inside the Quran

أَوْ (aw) means or. It presents an alternative, choice, comparison, or possible case.

Read it inside the complete ayat below. The surrounding words decide the most natural English rendering, so the translation may use more than one English phrase for the same Arabic form.

See it in real ayat
أَوْ أَمَرَ بِٱلتَّقْوَىٰٓ

Or enjoins righteousness?

أَوْ مِسْكِينًۭا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍۢ

Or a needy person in misery

Arabic quoted letter for letter from the Uthmani text of our Quran reader. Translation: Saheeh International.

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