It is actually the last four letters who signify a meaning. The suffix -stan is used in multiple country names and it is Persian for "Land of"
Bree
Growling
An example of signifier and signified is the word "dog." The signifier is the spoken/written word "dog," while the signified is the mental concept or image we have of a four-legged domestic animal typically kept as a pet.
Words don't have alphabets. They have letters. The first and last letters of a word od not have any special names in English.
When you change the first and last letters of a word, it is called a spoonerism.
Cycle
onomatopoeia
Pardy
Ngaio
Duala
Star Trek: Nemesis
aura