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Arabic · Arabic letters
Arabic Alphabet
Arabic is written right to left, and most letters join to the next one, changing shape at the start, middle or end of a word. Dots tell many letters apart. Short vowels are small marks above or below, usually left out in everyday writing. These cards use Modern Standard Arabic. The sounds on the cards mark the 'heavy' letters with a dot (ṣ ḍ ṭ ẓ) and ʿayn as ʿ; the lessons and example words write them as plain s d t z and '.
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The 28 letters
اāalif · long a as in 'father'; at the start of a word it carries a short vowelباب (baab) door
بbbāʾ · b as in 'bed'; one dot belowبَيْت (bayt) house
تttāʾ · t; two dots aboveتُفّاح (tuffaah) apples
ثththāʾ · th as in 'think'; three dots aboveثَلاثة (thalaatha) three
جjjīm · j as in 'jam' (g as in 'go' in Egypt)جَميل (jamiil) beautiful
حḥḥāʾ · a strong breathy h from the throat; no dotحَليب (haliib) milk
خkhkhāʾ · kh as in Scottish 'loch'; dot aboveخُبْز (khubz) bread
دddāl · dدَجاج (dajaaj) chicken
ذdhdhāl · th as in 'this'; dot aboveذَهَب (dhahab) gold
رrrāʾ · a tapped or rolled rرَجُل (rajul) man
زzzāy · z; dot aboveزَيْت (zayt) oil
سssīn · sسَمَك (samak) fish
شshshīn · sh as in 'shop'; three dots aboveشاي (shaay) tea
صṣṣād · a heavy s, said with the tongue low and back (the lessons write s)صَديق (sadiiq) friend
ضḍḍād · a heavy d (the lessons write d)ضَيْف (dayf) guest
طṭṭāʾ · a heavy t (the lessons write t)طِفْل (tifl) child
ظẓẓāʾ · a heavy th as in 'this', often said as a heavy z (the lessons write z)ظُهْر (zuhr) noon
عʿʿayn · a tight sound from deep in the throat (the lessons write ')عَيْن ('ayn) eye
غghghayn · a gargled r, like French r; dot aboveغُرْفة (ghurfa) room
فffāʾ · f; one dot aboveفُنْدُق (funduq) hotel
قqqāf · k said far back in the throat; two dots aboveقَهْوة (qahwa) coffee
كkkāf · kكِتاب (kitaab) book
لllām · lلَحْم (lahm) meat
مmmīm · mماء (maa') water
نnnūn · n; one dot aboveنَعَم (na'am) yes
هhhāʾ · a soft h, also at the end of a wordهُنا (hunaa) here
وw / ūwāw · w, or long oo as in 'food'وَلَد (walad) boy
يy / īyāʾ · y, or long ee as in 'see'; two dots belowيَوْم (yawm) day
Short-vowel marks (on ب)
بَbafatḥa · a small stroke above = short aكَتَبَ (kataba) he wrote
بِbikasra · a small stroke below = short iمِن (min) from
بُbuḍamma · a small curl above = short uشُكْراً (shukran) thank you
بْbsukūn · a small circle = no vowel after the letterبِنْت (bint) girl
بّbbshadda · a small w-shape = the letter is doubledحَمّام (hammaam) bathroom
بًاbantanwīn · a doubled mark adds -n (here -an, written with an extra alif)شُكْراً (shukran) thank you
Extra letters & signs
ءʾhamza · a catch in the throat, like the break in 'uh-oh' (the lessons write ')سَماء (samaa') sky
أʾa / ʾuhamza on alif (above) · a glottal stop with a or uأَنا (anaa) I
إʾihamza under alif · a glottal stop with iإِنْجِليزي (injiliizii) English
آʾāmadda · alif with a wave = a long aa at the startآسِف (aasif) sorry
ؤʾhamza on wāwسُؤال (su'aal) question
ئʾhamza on a dotless yāʾرَئيس (ra'iis) president
ة-a / -attāʾ marbūṭa · a word ending, mostly feminine; said -a, or -at before another wordمَدْرَسة (madrasa) school
ى-āalif maqṣūra · a long aa at the end, written like yāʾ without dotsمُسْتَشْفى (mustashfaa) hospital
لاlālām + alif · always joined into this one shapeلا (laa) no
الal-the · before 'sun letters' (t d s r n …) the l is not said and the next letter doublesالشّاي (ash-shaay) the tea
Joined shapes (start · middle · end)
بـ ـبـ ـبbmost letters join on both sides and change shape; ت ث ن ي follow the same shapeبَيْت (bayt) house · كَبير (kabiir) big
جـ ـجـ ـجjح and خ change the same wayثَلْج (thalj) snow
سـ ـسـ ـسsش changes the same wayسَمَك (samak) fish
عـ ـعـ ـعʿthe shape changes a lot; غ changes the same wayبَعيد (ba'iid) far
هـ ـهـ ـهhfour quite different shapesهُنا (hunaa) here · قَهْوة (qahwa) coffee
كـ ـكـ ـكkthe end shape has a small mark insideكَبير (kabiir) big
لـ ـلـ ـلltall stroke; joins to alif as لالَحْم (lahm) meat
مـ ـمـ ـمma small loop with a tail at the endمَطْعَم (mat'am) restaurant
يـ ـيـ ـيy / īdots below in every shapeبَيْت (bayt) house
ا د ذ ر ز وā d dh r z wthese six never join to the letter after them, so a small gap followsوَرْدة (warda) rose
Basic Arabic phrases