Used in the transliteration of foreign names; also used as an abbreviation for countries like 阿富汗 ā​fù​hàn or 阿尔及利亚 ā'ěr​jí​lì​yà.

(bound form) used in transliterations from Sanskrit, specifically in the name of the Akshobhya Buddha 阿閦佛 ā​chù​fó