This is the 4476th most frequent Arabic word.
وقال
"And he said"
Here, 'وقال' introduces direct speech, showing a quote attributed to the speaker.
وقال الأستاذ للطلاب: "يجب أن تجتهدوا في دراستكم."
The teacher told the students: "You must strive in your studies."
'وقال' is used here to indicate reported speech, relaying what someone else has said.
قال لي صديقي أنه يريد زيارتي في نهاية الأسبوع.
My friend told me that he wants to visit me at the weekend.
In this sentence, 'وقال' is used in a narrative context to introduce a statement made in writing.