Arabic Alphabet in Arabic

Overview

The Arabic alphabet is the foundation of reading and writing in Arabic, one of the world's most widely spoken languages. It consists of 28 letters, all consonants, written and read from right to left. This right-to-left directionality is one of the first things you will notice and adapt to as a beginner.

At the A1 level, learning the Arabic alphabet is your essential first step. Unlike English, Arabic is a cursive script by nature -- letters within a word are connected to each other (with a few exceptions). Each letter can take up to four different shapes depending on its position in a word: isolated, initial, medial, or final. Six letters do not connect to the letter following them, which creates natural breaks within words.

Once you learn the 28 letters and their positional forms, you will be able to sound out Arabic words and begin reading simple texts. The system is logical and consistent, and with practice, the shapes become second nature.

How It Works

The 28 Arabic Letters

Letter	Name	Transliteration	Approximate Sound
أ	alif	a / '	glottal stop or long "a"
ب	ba	b	like English "b"
ت	ta	t	like English "t"
ث	tha	th	like "th" in "think"
ج	jim	j	like "j" in "jump"
ح	ha	h	breathy "h" (no English equivalent)
خ	kha	kh	like "ch" in Scottish "loch"
د	dal	d	like English "d"
ذ	dhal	dh	like "th" in "this"
ر	ra	r	rolled/trilled "r"
ز	zay	z	like English "z"
س	sin	s	like English "s"
ش	shin	sh	like "sh" in "ship"
ص	sad	s	emphatic "s"
ض	dad	d	emphatic "d" (unique to Arabic)
ط	ta	t	emphatic "t"
ظ	dha	dh	emphatic "dh"
ع	'ayn	'	deep throat sound (no English equivalent)
غ	ghayn	gh	like French "r" in "Paris"
ف	fa	f	like English "f"
ق	qaf	q	deep "k" from the throat
ك	kaf	k	like English "k"
ل	lam	l	like English "l"
م	mim	m	like English "m"
ن	nun	n	like English "n"
ه	ha	h	like English "h"
و	waw	w / uu	like "w" or long "oo"
ي	ya	y / ii	like "y" or long "ee"

Non-Connecting Letters

Six letters only connect to the letter before them, never to the letter after:

Letter	Name
ا	alif
د	dal
ذ	dhal
ر	ra
ز	zay
و	waw

When one of these letters appears in the middle of a word, it creates a visual break, and the next letter takes its initial form.

Examples in Context

Arabic	English	Note
أ ب ت ث ج ح خ	alif ba ta tha jim ha kha	First group of letters
د ذ ر ز س ش ص	dal dhal ra za sin shin sad	Second group
ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق	dad ta dha 'ayn ghayn fa qaf	Third group
ك ل م ن ه و ي	kaf lam mim nun ha waw ya	Fourth group
كتاب	kitaab (book)	Letters connect in a word
باب	baab (door)	Short word showing connections
دار	daar (house)	Contains non-connecting dal
مدرسة	madrasa (school)	Five connected/non-connecting letters
قلم	qalam (pen)	Three connected letters
ورد	ward (roses)	Starts with non-connecting waw

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
Reading left to right	Reading right to left	Arabic flows in the opposite direction from English
Treating all letters as connecting	Remembering the 6 non-connectors (ا د ذ ر ز و)	These letters break the cursive flow within words
Confusing similar-looking letters	Paying attention to dots	Letters like ب ت ث differ only in the number and placement of dots
Ignoring emphatic vs. plain sounds	Distinguishing ت from ط, د from ض, etc.	Emphatic consonants change meaning and are pronounced differently

Practice Tips

• Start by learning groups of letters that share the same base shape (e.g., ب ت ث all share the same body, differing only in dots). This makes memorization much more efficient.
• Practice writing each letter in all four positions (isolated, initial, medial, final) repeatedly. Muscle memory is key for Arabic handwriting.
• Listen to native speakers recite the alphabet and repeat after them. The sounds of ح, خ, ع, غ, and ق have no English equivalents and require ear training.

Related Concepts

• Letter Forms and Connections
• Short Vowels (Harakat)
• Definite Article ال
• Root and Pattern System
• MSA vs. Dialectal Features