Table of Contents
Overview of the Persian Alphabet
Persian uses its own version of the Arabic script. It is written from right to left. In this chapter you will meet all the letters of the alphabet, learn their names, and see how they look in their basic “standalone” form. Details such as connecting letters and writing practice will come in the next chapter, so here you only need to recognize the shapes and sounds.
Persian has 32 letters. Many letters look similar, so you should train your eye from the beginning to notice dots and small differences in shape.
Persian is written from RIGHT to LEFT.
When you read any examples in Persian script, always start at the right side of the word and move to the left.
Extra Letters in Persian
Persian script comes from Arabic, but Persian uses four extra letters for sounds that Arabic does not have. These are very important in Persian:
پ [pe]
چ [che]
ژ [zhe]
گ [gāf]
You will see them often in Persian words, so start to recognize them early.
The 32 Letters: Names, Sounds, and Basic Forms
Here you will see each letter in its isolated form, its name in Latin letters, and its main sound value using a simple English-based explanation. Do not worry yet about how they connect inside words. That is the topic of the next chapter.
Remember, when you see the Persian letter, your eyes should go from right to left.
1. ا – Alef
Letter: ا
Name: alef
Main sound: a vowel holder, often like “ā” in “father” or short “a / e” depending on marks and context.
Alef is mainly a place for vowels. You will see it a lot at the beginning of words.
2. ب – Be
Letter: ب
Name: be
Main sound: like “b” in “book”.
Pay attention to the single dot under the letter.
3. پ – Pe
Letter: پ
Name: pe
Main sound: like “p” in “pen”.
This is one of the extra Persian letters. It has three dots under the main shape.
4. ت – Te
Letter: ت
Name: te
Main sound: like “t” in “top”.
Two dots above the main shape.
5. ث – Se (Arabic origin)
Letter: ث
Name: se
Main sound: in modern Persian usually pronounced like “s” in “sun”.
This letter is common in Arabic loanwords. It has three dots above.
6. ج – Jim
Letter: ج
Name: jim
Main sound: like “j” in “job” or “g” in “giant”.
One dot under the curved shape.
7. چ – Che
Letter: چ
Name: che
Main sound: like “ch” in “chess”.
This is a Persian-specific letter. It has three dots under the shape.
8. ح – He (heavy h)
Letter: ح
Name: he (sometimes called “he-ye jimi” in grammar contexts)
Main sound: a strong “h” sound, deeper than English “h”. In modern Persian, often sounds close to normal “h”.
No dots. The shape is like “jim” but without a dot.
9. خ – Khe
Letter: خ
Name: khe
Main sound: like the “ch” in the Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”, a deep “kh” sound.
One dot above. Compare it with ح and ج.
10. د – Dāl
Letter: د
Name: dāl
Main sound: like “d” in “dog”.
This letter does not connect to the letter after it, only to the one before it. You will learn about connection later.
11. ذ – Zāl
Letter: ذ
Name: zāl
Main sound: in modern Persian usually like “z” in “zoo”.
One dot above. Also from Arabic, most often in loanwords.
12. ر – Re
Letter: ر
Name: re
Main sound: like “r” in “red”, often rolled or tapped.
No dots. Also does not connect to the following letter.
13. ز – Ze
Letter: ز
Name: ze
Main sound: like “z” in “zoo”.
One dot above. Simple shape.
14. ژ – Zhe
Letter: ژ
Name: zhe
Main sound: like “zh” in “measure” or “vision”.
Persian-specific letter. Has three dots above.
15. س – Sin
Letter: س
Name: sin
Main sound: like “s” in “sun”.
No dots. Long horizontal shape with three teeth in its connected forms.
16. ش – Shin
Letter: ش
Name: shin
Main sound: like “sh” in “she”.
Three dots above the sin-shape.
17. ص – Sād
Letter: ص
Name: sād
Main sound: in modern Persian usually like “s” in “sun”.
From Arabic. Shape is heavier than س.
18. ض – Zād
Letter: ض
Name: zād
Main sound: in modern Persian usually like “z” in “zoo”.
From Arabic. Dot inside the heavy ص-like shape.
19. ط – Tā
Letter: ط
Name: tā
Main sound: usually like “t” in “top” in Persian.
A heavy “t” shape, from Arabic.
20. ظ – Zā
Letter: ظ
Name: zā
Main sound: usually like “z” in “zoo” in Persian.
From Arabic. Has a dot above and a heavy form.
21. ع – ‘Ayn
Letter: ع
Name: ‘ayn
Main sound: a deep throat sound before vowels. In modern Persian often weak or silent, but still written.
The shape is special and connects strongly within words.
22. غ – Ghayn
Letter: غ
Name: ghayn
Main sound: like a French “r” or a voiced version of “kh”, a deep “gh” sound.
One dot above. Compare with ع which has no dot.
23. ف – Fe
Letter: ف
Name: fe
Main sound: like “f” in “fish”.
Single dot above.
24. ق – Qāf
Letter: ق
Name: qāf
Main sound: often like a deep “g / q” in the back of the throat. In modern spoken Persian, many speakers pronounce it more like “ghayn”.
Two dots above in the isolated form.
25. ک – Kāf
Letter: ک
Name: kāf
Main sound: like “k” in “kite”.
This is the modern Persian form of kāf, different from the Arabic kāf shape.
26. گ – Gāf
Letter: گ
Name: gāf
Main sound: like “g” in “go”.
Persian-specific letter. Looks like kāf but with an extra small line.
27. ل – Lām
Letter: ل
Name: lām
Main sound: like “l” in “lake”.
A tall vertical stroke with a curve in connected forms.
28. م – Mim
Letter: م
Name: mim
Main sound: like “m” in “man”.
Rounded shape, important in many common words.
29. ن – Nun
Letter: ن
Name: nun
Main sound: like “n” in “no”.
Has one dot above in the isolated form.
30. و – Vāv
Letter: و
Name: vāv
Main sound: consonant “v” as in “voice”, or a long vowel “u / o” depending on context.
This letter often represents both a consonant and vowels. You will learn more when studying vowels.
31. ه – He
Letter: ه
Name: he
Main sound: like “h” in “hello”.
The basic “h” sound of Persian. Different from ح though they may sound similar in modern speech.
32. ی – Ye
Letter: ی
Name: ye
Main sound: consonant “y” as in “yes”, or long vowel “i / e” in many words.
The final letter of the standard Persian alphabet. It has different shapes depending on its position in a word.
Visual Similarities and Dots
Many Persian letters share a basic shape and are distinguished only by the number and position of dots. At this stage, train your eye to notice the dots very carefully.
For example:
ب one dot below, sound “b”
پ three dots below, sound “p”
ت two dots above, sound “t”
ث three dots above, sound “s” (in Persian)
Another important group:
ج one dot below, “j”
چ three dots below, “ch”
ح no dots, “h” (strong)
خ one dot above, “kh”
In Persian script, DOTS CHANGE THE LETTER COMPLETELY. Always count the dots and check if they are above or below the shape.
Alphabet Order
Here is the conventional order of the Persian alphabet, from first to last letter, as you would see in dictionaries. Read from right to left:
ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
You do not need to memorize the order perfectly at this moment, but it helps to recite it slowly and recognize that there are 32 letters.
Sample Persian Words Using Different Letters
You are not expected to remember all these words yet. The goal is only to see real examples where different letters appear, and to start noticing their shapes inside whole words. All words are written here in their normal Persian spelling and then in simple Latin transcription.
سلام salām “hello”
بابا bābā “dad”
پل pol “bridge”
چای chāy “tea”
شب shab “night”
نور nur / nur “light”
گل gol “flower”
خانه khāne “house, home”
مادر mādar “mother”
برف barf “snow”
You will learn more about pronunciation and spelling rules in later chapters. For now, just look at how different letters combine and recognize ones you already know.