Alphabet Details

In this lesson we will start learning the Arabic Alphabet In-Shā’-Allâh إِنْ شَاءَ الله (Allah Willing). The lesson is designed to teach the names of all the alphabets. Click on the letters to hear how the letter names are pronounced.

How many letters are there in the Arabic alphabet?

It is widely known that there are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet. This count represents the number of letters acknowledged by both ancient and modern dictionaries, and it includes the basic letters used in modern Arabic.

Nonetheless, there is a slight disagreement among ancient Arabic grammarians on how many letters are there in the Arabic alphabet. The basis for this dispute is whether or not the long vowel Alif /aa/ ( ا ) and the Hamzah ( ء ) are separate and unique letters, as follows:

• One view holds that there are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet, ranging from the letter Hamzah ( ء ) to the letter Yaa ( ي ). On the other hand, this viewpoint regards the long vowel Alif /aa/ ( ا ) as a phonological letter, while it morphologically represents one of the Hamzah ( ء ) figures. Thus, according to this theory, there are 28 morphological and lexical Arabic letters, but 29 phonological ones. This opinion was narrated by Al Khalil (718 – 786 CE) but 29 Ibn Duraid (837-933 CE).

• An alternative perspective is that the Arabic alphabet consists of 29 letters, which span from the letter Hamzah ( ء ) to the letter Yaa ( ي ). Additionally, the long vowel Alif /aa/ ( ا ) is seen as a distinct and extra letter that is positioned between the Waaw ( و ) and Yaa ( ي ). Sibawayh (760–796 CE) and Ibn Jinni (932-1026 CE) told the story of this notion.

• A third alternative viewpoint holds that the long vowel Alif /aa/ ( ا ) and Hamzah ( ء ) are just diacritical indicators that might accompany letters in the writing system, not actual letters. As a result, this hypothesis states that there are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet, ranging from the letter baa ( ب ) to the letter Yaa ( ي ). The scholar who explained this theory was Al Mubarrid (826–898 CE).

Arabic Alphabet Lesson Introduction

Please note that some of these Arabic letters are very similar to English letter sounds e.g.: /bā’/ is very close to the letter 'b' in the English language, this is a useful way to remember the sounds of the letters. However many letters have no equivalent sounds in English e.g.: /ʿayn/, and some letters have subtle but important differences in pronunciation, e.g.: /ħā’/ which is pronounced with a lot more emphasis in the throat than the letter 'H' in English.

Finally, please note that the Arabic script is read from right to left. Please read the letters below starting from the right and reading each letter to the left.

Arabic Alphabet Chart

This arabic alphabet chart is interactive - click on the letters to hear their pronunciation

Arabic Alphabet Single Vowel Marks

In the next lesson, we will cover the 3 vowel-marks in Arabic below In-Shā’-Allâh إِنْ شَاءَ الله (Allah Willing). The vowel-marks are the marks below or above the letter /dāl/ in the examples below. The letter / dāl/ has been used to give you an idea of where the vowel is placed. The single vowel-marks are the basic vowel-marks which add a sound similar to that of a, i or u in the English language to the letter. Please click on the Arabic alphabet with the vowel-marks to hear the pronunciation.

More about the Arabic Alphabet and its components

The Arabic alphabet is made up of nineteen shapes that represent twenty-eight letters with the help of dots. E.g. the shape ٮ could represent the letter ب (b), ت (t), ث (th), or the initial يـ (y) by changing the number and positions of dots.

Short vowels are not considered letters in Arabic alphabet. They are represented by diacritic signs above or underneath each letter they follow.

You can read each letter with the help of its components (dots and diacritics). Diacritic signs are to be originally hidden. Most Arabic books and newspapers rarely use diacritics. Arabs depend on context and experience to know the hidden diacritics.

Qur’an and children's book are with full diacritic signs.

List of Arabic Letter Components

Arabic letters are always cursive, so they vary in shape depending on their position within a word.

All Arabic letters are able to connect a preceding letter, 14 of them can be connected from both sides, while the rest 6 letters (ا د ذ ر ز و) could be connected only to the preceding letter.

Therefore, each of Arabic letters has many sub-forms depending on its position (initial, medial, final, or isolated) in the word. The sub-forms of most letters are close to each other, e.g. letter equivalent to /s/:

Isolated: س
Initial: سـ
Medial: ـسـ
Final: ـس

Few of those forms are quite different, e.g. letter equivalent /h/:

Isolated: ه
Initial: هـ
Medial: ـهـ
Final: ـه