Arabic Alphabet Complete Guide

Arabic is written from right to left and has 28 letters. Each letter can have up to 4 different forms depending on its position in a word: isolated, initial, medial, and final.

Basic Letters Overview

Letter Transliteration Position Forms
ا a / ‘ Alif - the first letter
ب b Ba - has a dot below
ت t Ta - two dots above
ث th Tha - three dots above
ج j Jim
ح h Ha (deep throat h)
خ kh Kha
د d Dal
ذ dh Dhal
ر r Ra
ز z Zayn
س s Sin - three humps
ش sh Shin - three humps with dots
ص s (emphatic) Sad
ض d (emphatic) Dad
ط t (emphatic) Ta
ظ z (emphatic) Za
ع ’ (ayn) Ayn - glottal sound
غ gh Ghayn
ف f Fa
ق q Qaf - deep k sound
ك k Kaf
ل l Lam
م m Mim
ن n Nun
ه h Ha
و w / u Waw
ي y / i Ya

Short Vowels (Diacritics)

Arabic uses diacritical marks to indicate short vowels:

Symbol Name Sound
َ Fatha a (as in “cat”)
ُ Damma u (as in “put”)
ِ Kasra i (as in “sit”)
ّ Shadda doubles the consonant

Special Forms

Alif Variants

Form Meaning
ا Basic alif - long ‘aa’ sound
أ Alif with hamza above - glottal stop + ‘a’
إ Alif with hamza below - glottal stop + ‘i’
آ Alif madda - extended ‘aa’ without glottal stop

Ta Marbuta (ة)

The feminine ending, pronounced as ‘t’ or ‘h’ depending on context.

Alif Maqsura (ى)

Appears at the end of words, pronounced as long ‘aa’.

Grammar Basics

Case Endings

Arabic nouns change their ending based on grammatical case:

  • Nominative (Subject): -u ending
  • Accusative (Object): -a ending
  • Genitive (Possessive): -i ending

Definite vs Indefinite

  • Indefinite: Add ‘n’ sound (tanwin) to case ending
    • قلم (qalam - pen) -> قلمٌ (qalamun - a pen, nominative)
  • Definite: Add الـ (al-) prefix
    • قلم (qalam) -> القلم (al-qalamu - the pen)

Gender

  • Masculine: Basic form (e.g., مدرّس - mudarris - male teacher)
  • Feminine: Usually adds ة (ta marbuta) (e.g., مدرّسة - mudarrisa - female teacher)

Prepositions

All prepositions in Arabic require the following noun to be in genitive case:

Example: بِخَير (bi-khayr)

  • بِ (bi) = “with/by”
  • خَير (khayr) = “good/peace”
  • Combined meaning: “with peace” or “well”

Memorization Tips

  1. ب (ba) - Has a dot at the bottom
  2. ت (ta) - Has two dots above
  3. ث (tha) - Has three dots above
  4. ج (jim) - Z-shaped, dot below
  5. س (sin) - Looks like number 3, for “sin”
  6. ش (shin) - Sin with three dots = sh
  7. ف (fa) - Has one dot
  8. ق (qaf) - Has two dots (one more than fa)
  9. ك (kaf) - Has a curvy shape like writing K
  10. ل (lam) - Opposite of L shape
  11. و (waw) - Write like 9, going down = “woo~”
  12. ي (ya) - Like a worm with two dots = “ii”

Practice Resources

  • Practice writing each letter in all four forms
  • Start with common words and phrases
  • Use Arabic news or children’s books for reading practice
  • Listen to Arabic audio to familiarize yourself with pronunciation

Learning Arabic script takes time, but understanding the system makes it much more approachable. The key is consistent practice and exposure to the language.