ب + ي + ت
بيت
Alphabets
The Arabic alphabet الأبجدية
Meet every letter of Arabic, hear how it sounds, and learn how letters join to make words.
About Arabic
Arabic is written in the Arabic script from right to left. Its 28 letters stand for consonants and the long vowels ا و ي; short vowels are written, if at all, as small marks called ḥarakāt. Most letters join the next one and have up to four shapes – alone, at the start, in the middle and at the end of a word. Letters that share a basic shape are told apart by their dots, as in ب ت ث.
- 28
- letters حروف
- 3
- short vowel marks
- 4
- shapes per letter
- R → L
- writing direction
Vowels الحركات
Short vowels are small marks written on a letter – shown here on ب – and are usually left out. Long vowels use the letters ا و ي. Tap a letter to hear it.
Three more signs
Sukūn – no vowel after the letter.
Shadda – the letter is doubled.
Tanwīn – adds "n" to a word ending.
Letters الحروف
Letters that share a basic shape are grouped together – dots above or below tell them apart. Tap a letter to hear it.
Alif ا
the first letter – carries hamza and long ā
The bāʾ family ب ت ث
one boat shape – one, two or three dots
The jīm family ج ح خ
a hook shape
Dāl and rāʾ د ذ ر ز
never join the next letter
Sīn and ṣād س ش ص ض
teeth and loop shapes
Ṭāʾ and ʿayn ط ظ ع غ
loops and open curves
Fāʾ to kāf ف ق ك
loops and a tall shape
Lām to yāʾ ل م ن ه و ي
the last letters of the alphabet
Extra forms أشكال أخرى
hamza, tāʾ marbūṭa and alif maqṣūra
The letters ا د ذ ر ز و never join the letter after them, so a word can break into pieces: وردة (warda, rose).
How letters join to make words
Arabic is written from right to left and most letters join the next one. Three simple rules cover almost everything.
-
1
Letters join the next one
Inside a word most letters link to the next, so their shape changes.
ك +ت +ا +ب =كتاب -
2
Six letters never join on the left
After ا د ذ ر ز و the next letter starts fresh.
و +ر +د =ورد -
3
Short vowels are marks
Fatḥa, kasra and ḍamma sit above or below a letter and are usually left out.
ب +◌َ =بَ
Four shapes of a letter
Alone
ب
On its own.
Start
بـ
At the beginning of a word.
Middle
ـبـ
Joined on both sides.
End
ـب
At the end of a word.
Build real words
م + ا + ء
ماء
ك + ت + ا + ب
كتاب
ق + م + ر
قمر
ش + م + س
شمس
س + ل + ا + م
سلام
Good to know
Right to left – except numbers
Words run from right to left, but numbers keep their left-to-right order: ٢٠٢٦.
Sun and moon letters
Before "sun letters" the l of ال (the) is not said: الشمس is ash-shams, but القمر is al-qamar.
Dots matter
ب ت ث ن ي share one shape – only the dots tell them apart.
Ready to type in Arabic?
Use the on-screen keyboard to write these letters, or translate your first sentence.