Read Arabic from right to left. Each displayed form is a shape example, not a separate letter. The table starts at the right edge.
ا د ذ ر ز و connect to a preceding letter on their right but not to the next letter on their left. Their initial shape therefore looks isolated, and their medial shape looks final.
Transcription is a reading aid, not an exact English pronunciation. Long vowels are ā/ī/ū (aa/ii/uu in the drills). Dots below ṣ/ḍ/ṭ/ẓ mark emphatic sounds; ḥ is distinct from h, and ʿ is distinct from hamza ʾ.
Alphabet and connected forms
| Isolated | Name | Reading guide | Initial | Medial | Final | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | alif | ā / a vowel carrier | ا | ـا | ـا | Stops after this letter |
| ب | bāʾ | b | بـ | ـبـ | ـب | Joins both sides |
| ت | tāʾ | t | تـ | ـتـ | ـت | Joins both sides |
| ث | thāʾ | th (think) | ثـ | ـثـ | ـث | Joins both sides |
| ج | jīm | j | جـ | ـجـ | ـج | Joins both sides |
| ح | ḥāʾ | ḥ (deep, voiceless h) | حـ | ـحـ | ـح | Joins both sides |
| خ | khāʾ | kh | خـ | ـخـ | ـخ | Joins both sides |
| د | dāl | d | د | ـد | ـد | Stops after this letter |
| ذ | dhāl | dh (this) | ذ | ـذ | ـذ | Stops after this letter |
| ر | rāʾ | r | ر | ـر | ـر | Stops after this letter |
| ز | zāy | z | ز | ـز | ـز | Stops after this letter |
| س | sīn | s | سـ | ـسـ | ـس | Joins both sides |
| ش | shīn | sh | شـ | ـشـ | ـش | Joins both sides |
| ص | ṣād | ṣ (emphatic s) | صـ | ـصـ | ـص | Joins both sides |
| ض | ḍād | ḍ (emphatic d) | ضـ | ـضـ | ـض | Joins both sides |
| ط | ṭāʾ | ṭ (emphatic t) | طـ | ـطـ | ـط | Joins both sides |
| ظ | ẓāʾ | ẓ (emphatic dh) | ظـ | ـظـ | ـظ | Joins both sides |
| ع | ʿayn | ʿ (voiced pharyngeal sound) | عـ | ـعـ | ـع | Joins both sides |
| غ | ghayn | gh | غـ | ـغـ | ـغ | Joins both sides |
| ف | fāʾ | f | فـ | ـفـ | ـف | Joins both sides |
| ق | qāf | q (back-of-mouth k) | قـ | ـقـ | ـق | Joins both sides |
| ك | kāf | k | كـ | ـكـ | ـك | Joins both sides |
| ل | lām | l | لـ | ـلـ | ـل | Joins both sides |
| م | mīm | m | مـ | ـمـ | ـم | Joins both sides |
| ن | nūn | n | نـ | ـنـ | ـن | Joins both sides |
| ه | hāʾ | h | هـ | ـهـ | ـه | Joins both sides |
| و | wāw | w / ū | و | ـو | ـو | Stops after this letter |
| ي | yāʾ | y / ī | يـ | ـيـ | ـي | Joins both sides |
Short vowels and reading marks
| Mark | Name | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| ◌َ | fatḥa | a |
| ◌ِ | kasra | i |
| ◌ُ | ḍamma | u |
| ◌ْ | sukūn | No vowel after this consonant |
| ◌ّ | shadda | Double the consonant carrying the mark |
| ◌ً | fatḥatān | an |
| ◌ٍ | kasratān | in |
| ◌ٌ | ḍammatān | un |
Additional written forms
| Form | Name | Use |
|---|---|---|
| ء | hamza | Glottal stop, written ʾ |
| أ إ | hamza on alif | Hamza above or below an alif carrier |
| آ | alif madda | Usually ʾā |
| ة | tāʾ marbūṭa | Usually -a(h) when pausing; -t in connected grammatical forms |
| ى | alif maqṣūra | Long ā at the end of a word |
| لا | lām + alif | A combination of two letters, not a 29th letter |
Sources and conventions
Letter names, sounds, and transcription serve different purposes. Latin spellings are reading aids; consult the linked teaching sources for pronunciation and contextual rules.