The Arabic script
Arabic is written right-to-left in a connected cursive script — every word flows like a continuous line. This looks beautiful but can seem intimidating at first. The key insight: there are only 28 letters, and most are just variations of a few basic shapes. Once you recognise these patterns, reading becomes much easier. Most letters change shape depending on whether they appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, but the changes follow consistent rules.
The alphabet
Arabic has 28 letters, and most have four forms: isolated (standing alone), initial (at the start of a word), medial (in the middle), and final (at the end). Six letters (marked below) don't connect to the following letter, which creates natural breaks in words:
| Letter | Isolated | Initial | Medial | Final | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🔊 أ | أ | أ | ـا | ـا | a (alif) |
| 🔊 ب | ب | بـ | ـبـ | ـب | b |
| 🔊 ت | ت | تـ | ـتـ | ـت | t |
| 🔊 ث | ث | ثـ | ـثـ | ـث | th (thin) |
| 🔊 ج | ج | جـ | ـجـ | ـج | j |
| 🔊 ح | ح | حـ | ـحـ | ـح | ḥ (breathy h) |
| 🔊 خ | خ | خـ | ـخـ | ـخ | kh (Bach) |
| 🔊 د | د | د | ـد | ـد | d |
| 🔊 ذ | ذ | ذ | ـذ | ـذ | dh (that) |
| 🔊 ر | ر | ر | ـر | ـر | r (rolled) |
| 🔊 ز | ز | ز | ـز | ـز | z |
| 🔊 س | س | سـ | ـسـ | ـس | s |
| 🔊 ش | ش | شـ | ـشـ | ـش | sh |
| 🔊 ص | ص | صـ | ـصـ | ـص | ṣ (emphatic s) |
| 🔊 ض | ض | ضـ | ـضـ | ـض | ḍ (emphatic d) |
| 🔊 ط | ط | طـ | ـطـ | ـط | ṭ (emphatic t) |
| 🔊 ظ | ظ | ظـ | ـظـ | ـظ | ẓ (emphatic dh) |
| 🔊 ع | ع | عـ | ـعـ | ـع | ʿ (voiced pharyngeal) |
| 🔊 غ | غ | غـ | ـغـ | ـغ | gh (French r) |
| 🔊 ف | ف | فـ | ـفـ | ـف | f |
| 🔊 ق | ق | قـ | ـقـ | ـق | q (deep k) |
| 🔊 ك | ك | كـ | ـكـ | ـك | k |
| 🔊 ل | ل | لـ | ـلـ | ـل | l |
| 🔊 م | م | مـ | ـمـ | ـم | m |
| 🔊 ن | ن | نـ | ـنـ | ـن | n |
| 🔊 ه | ه | هـ | ـهـ | ـه | h |
| 🔊 و | و | و | ـو | ـو | w / ū |
| 🔊 ي | ي | يـ | ـيـ | ـي | y / ī |
Vowels
Arabic has three short vowels (diacritics) and three long vowels (letters):
| Short vowel | Mark | Long vowel | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🔊 a (fatḥa) | ـَ | ā | ـا |
| 🔊 i (kasra) | ـِ | ī | ـي |
| 🔊 u (ḍamma) | ـُ | ū | ـو |
Short vowels are often not written in everyday text.
Other marks
| Mark | Name | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 🔊 ـْ | sukūn | No vowel |
| 🔊 ـّ | shadda | Doubled consonant |
| 🔊 ء | hamza | Glottal stop |
Non-connecting letters
Six letters don't connect to the following letter: أ، د، ذ، ر، ز، و
Writing direction
- Right to left
- Numbers: left to right within Arabic text
- Books open from the right
Practice words
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 🔊 سَلام | salām | peace |
| 🔊 كِتاب | kitāb | book |
| 🔊 مَرحَبا | marḥaba | hello |
| 🔊 شُكرًا | shukran | thanks |
| 🔊 عَرَبي | ʿarabī | Arabic |