The Arabic alphabet

Characters

28 letters, each with up to four forms (isolated, initial, medial, final)

Direction

right to left

Time to learn

1 to 2 weeks

Tap the speaker on any letter to hear it, where your device has a Arabic voice. Sounds are described with English comparisons, which are close but never exact: listen and repeat.

• Short vowels (a, i, u) are usually not written. Long vowels use ا, و and ي.
• Six letters (ا د ذ ر ز و) never join to the letter after them.
• Several letters share a shape and differ only by dots: ب ت ث, ج ح خ, د ذ.
• Spoken Arabic varies by country; the alphabet is the same for every dialect.

1. 1

   Day 1: Letters with English-like sounds

   Learn 12 letters: ب ت د ر ز س ف ك ل م ن ه. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.

2. 2

   Day 2: Vowel and glide letters

   Learn 3 letters: ا و ي. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.

3. 3

   Day 3: Sounds close to English

   Learn 4 letters: ث ج ذ ش. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.

4. 4

   Day 4: New sounds from the throat

   Learn 5 letters: ح خ غ ع ق. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.

5. 5

   Day 5: Emphatic letters

   Learn 4 letters: ص ض ط ظ. Say each one out loud three times, then cover the sounds and test yourself.

6. 6

   Day 6: Review and read

   Go back over every group, then read the 8 practice words below out loud. Slow is fine.

7. 7

   Day 7: Say real sentences

   Start Arabic sentences in 4ToSpeak. Seeing letters in context is what makes them stick.

Fifteen to twenty minutes a day is enough. Skip a day and pick up where you stopped.

You can already read these. Read each one aloud, then check the sound and meaning.