Foundations

The Arabic alphabetالحُرُوف العَرَبِيَّة

There are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet. Each one has up to four positional shapes — how it’s drawn when it stands alone, at the start of a word, in the middle, or at the end. Six letters (marked with a gold dot) never attach to the letter that follows them.

Non-connecting letter — never joins to the left.

1ألف

alif/ɑː/ or /ʔ/

Non-connector

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ـا

IsoInitMedFin

Long 'aa' when carrying madd; a soft glottal stop otherwise.

اللَّهAllāh— God

2باء

bā'/b/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

بـ

ـبـ

ـب

IsoInitMedFin

Like English 'b'.

بِسْمِbismi— in the name of

3تاء

tā'/t/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

تـ

ـتـ

ـت

IsoInitMedFin

Light 't'; tongue tip on the back of the upper teeth.

تَبَارَكَtabāraka— blessed is

4ثاء

thā'/θ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ثـ

ـثـ

ـث

IsoInitMedFin

'th' as in 'think'; tip of tongue between teeth.

ثُمَّthumma— then

5جيم

jīm/d͡ʒ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

جـ

ـجـ

ـج

IsoInitMedFin

Like 'j' in 'jam'.

جَنَّةjannah— garden / paradise

6حاء

ḥā'/ħ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

حـ

ـحـ

ـح

IsoInitMedFin

Heavy 'h' from the middle of the throat.

حَمْدُḥamdu— praise

7خاء

khā'/x/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

خـ

ـخـ

ـخ

IsoInitMedFin

Like German 'Bach' or Scottish 'loch' — from the near throat.

خَلَقَkhalaqa— created

8دال

dāl/d/

Non-connector

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ـد

IsoInitMedFin

Light 'd'; tongue tip on the back of the upper teeth.

دِينdīn— religion / way of life

9ذال

dhāl/ð/

Non-connector

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ـذ

IsoInitMedFin

'th' as in 'this'; tongue tip between teeth.

ذَٰلِكَdhālika— that

10راء

rā'/r/

Non-connector

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ـر

IsoInitMedFin

Rolled / tapped 'r'; tongue tip flicks the ridge behind upper teeth.

رَبّrabb— Lord

11زاي

zāy/z/

Non-connector

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ـز

IsoInitMedFin

Like English 'z'.

زَكَاةzakāh— obligatory charity

12سين

sīn/s/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

سـ

ـسـ

ـس

IsoInitMedFin

Light 's' like English 'see'.

سَلَامsalām— peace

13شين

shīn/ʃ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

شـ

ـشـ

ـش

IsoInitMedFin

'sh' as in 'ship'.

شَمْسshams— sun

14صاد

ṣād/sˤ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

صـ

ـصـ

ـص

IsoInitMedFin

Heavy / emphatic 's'; back of tongue raises toward the roof of the mouth.

صِرَاطṣirāṭ— path

15ضاد

ḍād/dˤ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ضـ

ـضـ

ـض

IsoInitMedFin

Heavy 'd'; unique to Arabic — the Qur'ān is called 'lughat ad-ḍād'.

ضَالِّينḍāllīn— those who go astray

16طاء

ṭā'/tˤ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

طـ

ـطـ

ـط

IsoInitMedFin

Heavy / emphatic 't'; back of tongue raised.

طَيِّبṭayyib— pure / good

17ظاء

ẓā'/ðˤ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ظـ

ـظـ

ـظ

IsoInitMedFin

Heavy 'dh'; emphatic version of dhāl.

ظُلْمẓulm— injustice

18عين

ʿayn/ʕ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

عـ

ـعـ

ـع

IsoInitMedFin

Voiced constriction in the middle of the throat — no English equivalent.

عَبْدʿabd— servant / worshipper

19غين

ghayn/ɣ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

غـ

ـغـ

ـغ

IsoInitMedFin

Voiced version of khā' — a gargling sound near the throat.

غَفُورghafūr— oft-forgiving

20فاء

fā'/f/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

فـ

ـفـ

ـف

IsoInitMedFin

Like English 'f'.

فَلَقfalaq— daybreak

21قاف

qāf/q/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

قـ

ـقـ

ـق

IsoInitMedFin

Deep 'k' from the uvula — further back than English 'k'.

قُرْآنqur'ān— the Qur'ān

22كاف

kāf/k/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

كـ

ـكـ

ـك

IsoInitMedFin

Like English 'k'.

كِتَابkitāb— book

23لام

lām/l/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

لـ

ـلـ

ـل

IsoInitMedFin

Like English 'l'; heavy in the word 'Allāh' after fatḥa or ḍamma.

لَيْلlayl— night

24ميم

mīm/m/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

مـ

ـمـ

ـم

IsoInitMedFin

Like English 'm'.

مَلِكmalik— king

25نون

nūn/n/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

نـ

ـنـ

ـن

IsoInitMedFin

Like English 'n'; tongue tip behind upper teeth.

نَبِيّnabī— prophet

26هاء

hā'/h/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

هـ

ـهـ

ـه

IsoInitMedFin

Light 'h' from the deep throat — like a breath.

هُدَىhudā— guidance

27واو

wāw/w/ or /uː/

Non-connector

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ـو

IsoInitMedFin

English 'w' as a consonant; long 'oo' when carrying madd.

وَعْدwaʿd— promise

28ياء

yā'/j/ or /iː/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

يـ

ـيـ

ـي

IsoInitMedFin

English 'y' as a consonant; long 'ee' when carrying madd.

يَوْمyawm— day

Not in 28هَمْزة

hamza/ʔ/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

ـئـ

ـأ

IsoInitMedFin

Glottal stop — the catch in the throat between the two syllables of 'uh-oh'. Rides on an alif, wāw, or yā' seat; the seat is chosen by the surrounding vowel.

شَيْءshay'— a thing

Ligatureلام ألف

lām-alif/laː/

Isolated · Initial · Medial · Final

لا

ـلا

IsoInitMedFin

A ligature — not a separate letter. Whenever lām (ل) is followed by alif (ا), they merge into this single shape. Pronounced 'lā' (long 'aa').

أَوْلَادawlād— children