Letters
All letters of the Arabic alphet all listed below:
| # | Name | Letter | Pronounciation | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alif | ا | "a" as in apple / long aa as in father | apple / car |
| 2 | Bā’ | ب | "b" | book |
| 3 | Tā’ | ت | "t" (soft, like in top) | top |
| 4 | Thā’ | ث | "th" (soft, as in think) | think |
| 5 | Jīm | ج | "j" as in jam (in Egypt often "g" as in go) | jam |
| 6 | Ḥā’ | ح | Strong breathy "h" (no English equivalent) | - |
| 7 | Khā’ | خ | "kh" like German Bach, Scottish *loc | Bach |
| 8 | Dāl | د | "d" | dog |
| 9 | Dhāl | ذ | "th" (voiced, as in this) | *this |
| 10 | Rā’ | ر | Rolled "r" (like Spanish perro) | — |
| 11 | Zāy | ز | "z" | zoo |
| 12 | Sīn | س | "s" | sun |
| 13 | Shīn | ش | "sh" | sheep |
| 14 | Ṣād | ص | Heavy "s" (emphatic, no English equivalent) | — |
| 15 | Ḍād | ض | Heavy "d" (unique to Arabic) | — |
| 16 | Ṭā’ | ط | Heavy "t" | — |
| 17 | Ẓā’ | ظ | Heavy "th" (like this but emphatic) | — |
| 18 | ʿAyn | ع | Deep throat sound, no English equivalent | — |
| 19 | Ghayn | غ | French r / "gh" sound | Paris (French r) |
| 20 | Fā’ | ف | "f" | fish |
| 21 | Qāf | ق | Deep "k" (back of throat, no English equivalent) | — |
| 22 | Kāf | ك | "k" | kite |
| 23 | Lām | ل | "l" | lamp |
| 24 | Mīm | م | "m" | moon |
| 25 | Nūn | ن | "n" | net |
| 26 | Hā’ | ه | "h" | hat |
| 27 | Wāw | و | "w" / long "oo" (moon) | water / moon |
| 28 | Yā’ | ي | "y" / long "ee" (see) | yes / see |
Some letters don’t exist in English (ه, خ, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ع, غ, ق). For those, comparisons with German, French, or Spanish can help.
Connecting Letters
Arabic letters have 4 forms depending on their position in the word or if they appear isolated. The following table gives an overview of all these possibilities:
| # | Letter (Name) | Isolated | Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alif (ا) | ا | ﺍ | ﺎ | ﺎ |
| 2 | Bā’ (ب) | ب | ﺑ | ﺒ | ﺐ |
| 3 | Tā’ (ت) | ت | ﺗ | ﺘ | ﺖ |
| 4 | Thā’ (ث) | ث | ﺛ | ﺜ | ﺚ |
| 5 | Jīm (ج) | ج | ﺟ | ﺠ | ﺞ |
| 6 | Ḥā’ (ح) | ح | ﺣ | ﺤ | ﺢ |
| 7 | Khā’ (خ) | خ | ﺧ | ﺨ | ﺦ |
| 8 | Dāl (د) | د | ﺩ | ﺪ | ﺪ |
| 9 | Dhāl (ذ) | ذ | ﺫ | ﺬ | ﺬ |
| 10 | Rā’ (ر) | ر | ﺭ | ﺮ | ﺮ |
| 11 | Zāy (ز) | ز | ﺯ | ﺰ | ﺰ |
| 12 | Sīn (س) | س | ﺳ | ﺴ | ﺲ |
| 13 | Shīn (ش) | ش | ﺷ | ﺸ | ﺶ |
| 14 | Ṣād (ص) | ص | ﺻ | ﺼ | ﺺ |
| 15 | Ḍād (ض) | ض | ﺿ | ﻀ | ﺾ |
| 16 | Ṭā’ (ط) | ط | ﻃ | ﻄ | ﻂ |
| 17 | Ẓā’ (ظ) | ظ | ﻇ | ﻈ | ﻆ |
| 18 | ʿAyn (ع) | ع | ﻋ | ﻌ | ﻊ |
| 19 | Ghayn (غ) | غ | ﻏ | ﻐ | ﻎ |
| 20 | Fā’ (ف) | ف | ﻓ | ﻔ | ﻒ |
| 21 | Qāf (ق) | ق | ﻗ | ﻘ | ﻖ |
| 22 | Kāf (ك) | ك | ﻛ | ﻜ | ﻚ |
| 23 | Lām (ل) | ل | ﻟ | ﻠ | ﻞ |
| 24 | Mīm (م) | م | ﻣ | ﻤ | ﻢ |
| 25 | Nūn (ن) | ن | ﻧ | ﻨ | ﻦ |
| 26 | Hā’ (ه) | ه | ﻫ | ﻬ | ﻪ |
| 27 | Wāw (و) | و | ﻭ | ﻮ | ﻮ |
| 28 | Yā’ (I) | ي | ﻳ | ﻴ | ﻲ |
The long vowels are identical to the consonants و, ي, ا:
- Alif (ا): long ā, بَا = bā.
- Yā’ (ي): long ī, بِي = bī.
- Wāw (و): long ū, بُو = bū.
Vowels
In Arabic, the basic letters represent consonants, and vowels are usually shown with small marks above or below the letters. There are three short vowels:
- Fatḥa ( َ ): a small diagonal line above a letter, pronounced like "a" in cat.
Examples: مَ ma, لَ la, فَ fa
- Kasra ( ِ ): a small diagonal line below a letter, pronounced like "i" in sit.
Examples: مِ mi, لِ li, فِ fi
- Ḍamma ( ُ ): a small curl above a letter, pronounced like "u" in put.
Examples: مُ mu, لُ lu, فُ fu