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 |