Explore the writing examples below. Sound comparisons are approximate; use complete words and recordings to develop your listening and pronunciation.
| أ | [a] |
| ب | [b] |
| ت | [t] |
| ث | [th] |
| ج | [j] |
| ح | [h] |
| خ | [kh] |
| د | [d] |
| ذ | [th] |
| ر | [r] |
| ز | [z] 12 |
| س | [s] |
| ش | [sh] |
| ص | [s] |
| ض | [d] |
| ط | [t] |
| ظ | [th] |
| ع | ['] |
| غ | [gh] |
| ف | [f] |
| ق | [q] |
| ك | [k] |
| ل | [l] |
| م | [m] |
| ن | [n] |
| ه | [h] |
| و | [w] |
| ي | [i] |
Read from right to left
Arabic text runs from right to left. Many letters connect to their neighbours, and a letter can have a different shape at the beginning, middle or end of a word. Practise recognising the same letter in several positions. Some letters connect only on one side.
Short vowels and reading
Short vowels can be shown with marks above or below a letter. Many everyday texts leave these marks out, but beginners can use vowelled examples to learn how a word is read. Context helps readers choose between possible readings; it does not make every unfamiliar word obvious.
baبَ
biبِ
buبُ
A small reading exercise
Compare the three examples above. The main letter stays the same while the vowel mark changes. Copy each example, cover the labels, and identify the vowel. Then find the letter in a complete word in the Arabic vocabulary lesson.