fatha

In Arabic script, the vowel point for a, appearing as a diagonal line placed above a letter ( ـَ ) and designating a short a /a/. If the Arabic letters ا (أَلِف (ʾalif)) or ى (أَلِف مَقْصُورَة (ʾalif maqṣūra)) immediately follow, it indicates a long ā /aː/.