Persian Alphabet in Persian

Overview

The Persian alphabet is your gateway to reading and writing in Persian (Farsi). It consists of 32 letters based on the Arabic script, with four additional letters that do not exist in Arabic: پ (pe), چ (che), ژ (zhe), and گ (gāf). These four letters represent sounds unique to Persian and are essential from day one.

Persian is written from right to left, which may feel unfamiliar at first but becomes natural with practice. Most letters connect to their neighbors within a word, and each letter can have up to four forms depending on its position: isolated, initial (beginning of a word), medial (middle), and final (end). A few letters, such as ا (alef), د (dāl), ر (re), and ز (ze), only connect to the letter before them, never to the one after.

At the A1 level, your goal is to recognize all 32 letters, understand their basic sounds, and begin reading simple words. Do not worry about mastering every positional form immediately — that will come with exposure and practice.

How It Works

The 32 letters of the Persian alphabet are grouped here for easier learning:

Letter	Name	Approximate Sound
ا	alef	ā (long a) or glottal stop
ب	be	b
پ	pe	p (Persian-specific)
ت	te	t
ث	se	s (rare, Arabic loanwords)
ج	jim	j
چ	che	ch (Persian-specific)
ح	he	h (breathy)
خ	khe	kh (like Scottish "loch")
د	dāl	d
ذ	zāl	z (rare, Arabic loanwords)
ر	re	r (rolled)
ز	ze	z
ژ	zhe	zh (like "measure"; Persian-specific)
س	sin	s
ش	shin	sh
ص	sād	s (emphatic, Arabic loanwords)
ض	zād	z (emphatic, Arabic loanwords)
ط	tā	t (emphatic, Arabic loanwords)
ظ	zā	z (emphatic, Arabic loanwords)
ع	eyn	glottal sound (often silent in Persian)
غ	gheyn	gh (voiced uvular)
ف	fe	f
ق	qāf	q (uvular stop)
ک	kāf	k
گ	gāf	g (Persian-specific)
ل	lām	l
م	mim	m
ن	nun	n
و	vāv	v or u/o (vowel)
ه	he	h
ی	ye	y or i (vowel)

Key patterns:

• Letters like ث، ذ، ص، ض، ط، ظ exist mainly in Arabic loanwords and are pronounced the same as their Persian equivalents (س، ز، ت) in everyday speech.
• و (vāv) and ی (ye) serve double duty as both consonants and long vowels.
• Non-connecting letters (ا، د، ذ، ر، ز، ژ، و) never attach to the letter that follows them.

Examples in Context

Persian	English	Note
سلام	salām (hello)	Common greeting, right-to-left
نان	nān (bread)	Two connecting letters + one non-connector
پدر	pedar (father)	Uses Persian-specific پ
چای	chāy (tea)	Uses Persian-specific چ
کتاب	ketāb (book)	Four letters, all connecting
ژاله	zhāle (dew / name)	Uses Persian-specific ژ
گربه	gorbe (cat)	Uses Persian-specific گ
دوست	dust (friend)	Contains non-connecting د
مادر	mādar (mother)	Non-connecting ر at the end
ایران	irān (Iran)	Starts with alef

Common Mistakes

Confusing similar-looking letters

• Wrong: Reading ب (be) as پ (pe) or ت (te)
• Right: Count the dots — ب has one dot below, پ has three dots below, ت has two dots above
• Why: Many Persian letters share the same base shape and differ only in the number and position of dots.

Forgetting non-connecting letters

• Wrong: Writing ر connected to the next letter
• Right: ر always ends a connection; the next letter starts fresh
• Why: The letters ا، د، ذ، ر، ز، ژ، و never connect to the letter that follows them.

Pronouncing Arabic-origin letters distinctly

• Wrong: Stressing over the difference between س and ص
• Right: In everyday Persian, both are simply pronounced as "s"
• Why: While Arabic distinguishes these sounds, modern Persian does not. Learn the spelling but do not worry about different pronunciation.

Practice Tips

1. Start by learning the six non-connecting letters (ا، د، ذ، ر، ز، ژ، و) as a group. Once you know which letters break the chain, reading connected text becomes much easier.
2. Practice writing each letter in all its forms (isolated, initial, medial, final) by copying common words. Focus on short, everyday words like نان (bread), آب (water), and سلام (hello).
3. Use children's Persian alphabet charts or apps that show letter animations — seeing how letters flow into each other is more helpful than memorizing isolated forms.

Related Concepts

• Vowels and Diacritics — learn about the short and long vowel system
• Script Styles and Calligraphy Awareness — explore different writing styles used in Persian