All 28 letters, and what becomes of them
Arabic has no upper and lower case, but it has something else: every letter takes a different shape depending on where it sits in the word. The same letter therefore looks different four times over.
The six that do not join in
ا د ذ ر ز و connect only to the right, never to the left. The word visibly breaks open behind them. That is not a mistake and must not be closed up in a design. Close it and a correct word becomes a wrong one.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters does the Arabic alphabet have?
The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, plus the special characters ة (ta marbuta), ى (alif maqsura) and ء (hamza), which are not independent letters in the classic sense but appear regularly.
Why do Arabic letters look different depending on the word?
Arabic is a connected script: each letter has up to four shapes — isolated, at the start, in the middle, and at the end of a word — depending on whether it joins its neighbours.
Which letters never connect to the left?
Six letters — ا د ذ ر ز و — never connect to the following letter. After them, the word visibly breaks into a new section.
Is Arabic written left to right or right to left?
Arabic is written and read right to left. Numbers within the text, however, are still written left to right.
To learn more
Material that actually makes the shapes stick.
Arabic alphabet flashcards
All 28 letters with their positional forms on cards. Good for repetition, no substitute for a textbook.
View on Amazon- Most worth starting with
Arabic for beginners, with audio
Pronunciation matters a lot in Arabic — without an audio track you won't learn the guttural sounds.
View on Amazon Alphabet poster for the wall
Passive learning just by looking at it. Look for an edition that shows all four positional forms.
View on Amazon
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