Learning Arabic
The Arabic alphabet: all 28 letters
The 28 letters with their pronunciation, the 4 positional forms, the short vowels, and a free printable PDF.
The full table of all 28 letters
The 4 forms: isolated, initial, medial, final
The short vowels (harakat)
The sounds English speakers find hardest
A step-by-step method for children
The free printable PDF
How the Arabic alphabet works
The Arabic alphabet is an abjad of 28 letters. It is written right to left, has no capital letters, and the letters join up: each one changes shape depending on where it sits in the word.
The 28 letters
Every letter, its name and its sound
The nearest English sound is given as a guide — listening is still essential.
اaliflong a (father)
بbā'b (book)
تtā't (table)
ثthā'th (think)
جjīmj (jam)
حḥā'strong breathy h
خkhā'ch (Scottish loch)
دdāld (door)
ذdhālth (this)
رrā'rolled r
زzāyz (zero)
سsīns (sand)
شshīnsh (shine)
صṣādemphatic s
ضḍādemphatic d
طṭā'emphatic t
ظẓā'emphatic dh
عʿayndeep throat sound
غghaynlike French r
فfā'f (flower)
قqāfdeep k
كkāfk (kite)
لlāml (moon)
مmīmm (moon)
نnūnn (night)
هhā'soft h (hat)
وwāww (water) / long u
يyā'y (yes) / long i
The 4 forms of every letter
A letter changes shape according to its position in the word.Example with bā’:
ب
بـ
ـبـ
ـب
Six letters never join to the letter that follows them: ا · د · ذ · ر · ز · و
The short vowels (harakat)
- Fatha ( ـَ ) → a · Damma ( ـُ ) → u · Kasra ( ـِ ) → i
- Sukun ( ـْ ) → no vowel
- Shadda ( ـّ ) → doubled consonant
- Tanwin ( ـً ـٌ ـٍ ) → an / un / in
Pronunciation
The sounds English does not have
Five families of sounds take real ear training: the emphatics (ص ض ط ظ), the gutturals (ع ح), kh (خ), the deep qaf (ق) and the rolled r (ر). Listen, repeat, then check with a native speaker.
Free resource
Get the Arabic alphabet as a PDF
All 28 letters, the 4 forms and the harakat — ready to print. Tell us who you are and we will send the right resources.
Our method
See it, hear it, trace it, recognise it
You learn a letter by seeing it, hearing it, tracing it, then finding it inside a word. That is the progression Rafeeq follows — our early-years Arabic app.
Hear the sound
Spot the letter
Link it to a word
Build it syllable by syllable
Trace the letter
Schools & teachers
Rafeeq for classrooms
Per-child competency tracking, a teacher dashboard, and learning stories you can share with families.
Related resources
Go further
Our other free tools for learning and writing Arabic.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Arabic alphabet?
28 letters (sometimes counted as 29 if you include the hamza ء).
Does Arabic have capital letters?
No — there is no upper/lower case distinction.
Which direction is Arabic written in?
Right to left.
How long does it take to learn the alphabet?
A few weeks at 10–15 minutes a day; children go faster when it is playful.
Is the Quranic alphabet the same one?
Yes, the letters are identical; Quranic Arabic adds recitation marks.