Used for many languages.
أبجد Abjad
Four long vowels
Regular consonants.
Emphatic consonants
صاد (sawed) vs ساد (sad)
smile when you say daal, but put your lips like you are kissing when you say dad.
Catch → caught
Loot → glut
Keep → kept
Hamza
أ / إ
Arabic words may not begin with long vowels, but with a hamza and a short vowel. Here the alef is merely a placeholder.
Connectors vs non-connectors
ا
الف alef
ah as in father, or a deeper sound.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ا | | ﺎ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ب
باء beh
B as in bib
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺑ | ﺒ | ﺐ |
|---|
| Example | نازاڕ | فايبه ر | فيليب |
|---|
باب bab
Means door, entrance, gateway, or chapter/section (and figuratively, the domain/field).
ت
تاء taa
t as in cat, baton.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺗ | ﺘ | ﺖ |
|---|
| Example | توت | | بَيْت |
|---|
ث
ثاء thaa
th with the tongue further beyond the teeth than in ذال thaal -- ثاء thaa is the th in teeth but not teething; in moth but not mother; in Seth or Beth but not leather.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺛ | ﺜ | ﺚ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ثابت
Constant, immovable, unchanging.
ح
حاء haa
The h comes from the lower throat and does not have a cognate in English. H as in happy.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺣ | ﺤ | ﺢ |
|---|
| Example | حبيب | محسين | |
|---|
ج
جيم jeem/geem
Pronounced as g in Egypt, and j elsewhere.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺟ | ﺠ | ﺞ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
خ
خاء khaa
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺧ | ﺨ | ﺦ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
أخبار news
بخت
Luck, good fortune
د
دال daal
D as in dear, deep but not puddle.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | | | ﺪ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ﺫ
ذال thaal
The th is ذال thaal is like 'this' as opposed to the th ثاء thaa.
The tongue barely emerges from the teeth, if it all. ذال Thaal is the th in bother but not booth; in bathing but not bath; in slither but not sleuth. Weather, that.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | | | ﺬ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ر
راء raa
R
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | | | ﺮ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ﺯ
ﺯاي zaa
Z as in uzz.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | | | ﺰ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
خبز bread
حزب political party
زوج spouse (m)
زوجة spouse (f)
س
سين seen
S as in silk.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺳ | ﺴ | ﺲ |
|---|
| Example | سين | | |
|---|
دَرْس
Lesson
أُستاذ
Teacher
سوريا Syria
ش
شين shin
Sh as in sure.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺷ | ﺸ | ﺶ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
شاي shai (tea)
بَشير Basheer
A common surname
حشيش hashish
Grass
شَباب shabab
Youth, young people, guys
ص
صاد saad
Ss as in whistle.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺻ | ﺼ | ﺺ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ض
ضاد daad
This is a d where it feels like no air is escaping the mouth when it is pronounced. D as in burden.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﺿ | ﻀ | ﺾ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
أَخْضَرْ
Green
حاضِر
Ok/alright/affirmative (present in attendance)
ط
طاء ttaa
T as in take.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻃ | ﻄ | ﻂ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ظ
ظاء dhaa
Z
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻇ | ﻈ | ﻆ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ع
عين ayin
Practice pronouncing عين ayin by moving only your throat, not your mouth. It is like an ah noise from deeper in the throat.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻋ | ﻌ | ﻊ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
غ
غين ghain
The gh in Baghdad.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻏ | ﻐ | ﻎ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ف
فاء faa
The f in after.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻓ | ﻔ | ﻒ |
|---|
| Example | افغانستان | | |
|---|
ق
قاف qaaf
The ck in beckon.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻗ | ﻘ | ﻖ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ك
كاف kaph
The ch or k in chip or kick.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻛ | ﻜ | ﻚ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ﻝ
لام laam
The l in balloon.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻟ | ﻠ | ﻞ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
Laam may superficially seem like it resembles alef. However, the two are impossible to confuse because alef is a non-connector. Further, when ل laam is followed by ا alef the letters combine.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻻ | | ﻼ |
|---|
| Example | تبدلا | | هلال |
|---|
م
ميم meem
The m in melon.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻣ | ﻤ | ﻢ |
|---|
| Example | ماکهرۆنى | | |
|---|
ن
نون nun
The n in money.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻧ | ﻨ | ﻦ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ه
هاء haa
The h in Tahiti.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻫ | ﻬ | ﻪ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ﻭ
واو waw
The w in woe, or the u in bull.
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | | | ﻮ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ي
ياء yeh
J/y
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﻳ | ﻴ | ﻲ |
|---|
| Example | | | |
|---|
ء
همزة hamza
A break or end in a sound.
Vowel diacritics
َ
فَتحة fatha
| Sound | short a | llama |
|---|
| Lone | | |
|---|
| Start | | |
|---|
| Middle | | |
|---|
| End | | |
|---|
بَّ bbu
بِّ bbi
بَّ bba
بّ bb
بْ b
بُو b¯u
بِي b¯i
بِ bi
Double fatha
Gives an n sound.
Special cases
اء vs أ إ
Many colors begin with the alif.
أُجذ I love/like
س vs ص
د vs ض
Tar mabuta
سَيَّدة vs سَيَُد (lady vs mister)
Additional symbols
گ
گاف
The g in bagel.
ى
The j in pillage; the a in shura.
Special cases
ﷲ
Allah
Numerals
| East Arabic | ١ | ٢ | ٣ | ٤ | ٥ | ٦ | ٧ | ٨ | ٩ | ٠ |
|---|
| Persian variants | | | | | ۵ | ۶ | | | | |
|---|
| West Arabic | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
|---|
The Arabic character set is also used for Farsi, Pashto, Kurdish and other languages with some minor modifications.
Pashto characters
ټ
t
څ
ts, dz
ډ
d
ړ
r
ږ
z, g
ښ
x, s
ڼ
n
ئ
ey, ei
ۍ
ey, ei
ې
e
| Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|
| Letter | ﯦ | ﯧ | ﯥ |
|---|
ݒ
p
Kurdish characters
ڕ
Rr
ێ
The Ê in aire, faire.
ۆ
Oh.