The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters, all of which are consonants. Unlike English, Arabic is written from right to left, and most letters connect to the letter that follows them within a word. This is why Arabic letters change shape depending on whether they appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word — or in isolation.
The Four Positional Forms
Every Arabic letter has up to four forms: isolated, initial (beginning of a word), medial (middle of a word), and final (end of a word). Six letters — ا، د، ذ، ر، ز، و — only connect to the letter before them and never to the letter after. These are called non-connectors.
The 28 Arabic Letters
| Letter | Name | Approx. Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ا | Alef | Long /a/ or glottal stop |
| ب | Ba | /b/ as in “book” |
| ت | Ta | /t/ as in “top” |
| ث | Tha | /th/ as in “thin” |
| ج | Jim | /dʒ/ as in “jam” |
| ح | Ha | Breathy /h/ (pharyngeal) |
| خ | Kha | /x/ as in Scottish “loch” |
| د | Dal | /d/ as in “door” |
| ذ | Thal | /ð/ as in “this” |
| ر | Ra | Rolled /r/ |
| ز | Zay | /z/ as in “zero” |
| س | Sin | /s/ as in “sun” |
| ش | Shin | /ʃ/ as in “ship” |
| ص | Sad | Emphatic /s/ |
| ض | Dad | Emphatic /d/ |
| ط | Ta (emphatic) | Emphatic /t/ |
| ظ | Tha (emphatic) | Emphatic /ð/ |
| ع | Ayn | Voiced pharyngeal fricative |
| غ | Ghayn | /ɣ/ (like French r) |
| ف | Fa | /f/ as in “far” |
| ق | Qaf | Deep /q/ from throat |
| ك | Kaf | /k/ as in “kite” |
| ل | Lam | /l/ as in “lamp” |
| م | Mim | /m/ as in “moon” |
| ن | Nun | /n/ as in “noon” |
| ه | Ha | /h/ as in “hat” |
| و | Waw | /w/ or long /u/ |
| ي | Ya | /j/ or long /i/ |
Tips for Learning Arabic Letters
Start by grouping letters that share the same base shape but differ in the number of dots. For example, ب (ba), ت (ta), and ث (tha) all share the same base shape — a small boat-like form — distinguished only by the dots underneath or above. Similarly, ج (jim), ح (ha), and خ (kha) share the same base shape.
Practice typing each letter using our online Arabic keyboard. Seeing the letters appear in real time as you type is one of the most effective ways to build familiarity.