The Arabic Alphabet for Beginners: All 28 Letters with Pronunciation
Learn the Arabic alphabet from scratch — all 28 letters, how they sound, how they connect, and the easiest way to start writing them online today.
The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, is written right to left, and connects its letters into flowing words. It looks intimidating at first, but the system is remarkably logical. This beginner's guide walks you through every letter and the fastest way to start writing them.
How Arabic writing works
Three things to know before the letters:
- Right to left. Words and sentences flow from right to left (numbers go left to right).
- Letters connect. Most letters join to the ones beside them, changing shape slightly depending on whether they're at the start, middle, or end of a word.
- Short vowels are usually invisible. The 28 letters are mostly consonants and long vowels; short vowels are added with tashkeel marks when needed.
The 28 letters
| Letter | Name | Arabizi | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| ا | alif | a | long "a" |
| ب | baa | b | b |
| ت | taa | t | t |
| ث | thaa | th | "th" as in think |
| ج | jeem | j | j |
| ح | Haa | 7 | breathy "h" |
| خ | khaa | kh / 5 | "ch" in loch |
| د | daal | d | d |
| ذ | dhaal | dh | "th" as in the |
| ر | raa | r | rolled r |
| ز | zaay | z | z |
| س | seen | s | s |
| ش | sheen | sh | sh |
| ص | Saad | S | emphatic s |
| ض | Daad | D | emphatic d |
| ط | Taa | 6 / T | emphatic t |
| ظ | DHaa | Z | emphatic "th" |
| ع | ayn | 3 | deep throat sound |
| غ | ghayn | gh / 8 | guttural "r" |
| ف | faa | f | f |
| ق | qaaf | q / 9 | deep "q" |
| ك | kaaf | k | k |
| ل | laam | l | l |
| م | meem | m | m |
| ن | noon | n | n |
| ه | haa | h | soft h |
| و | waw | w / o / u | w / long "u" |
| ي | yaa | y / i | y / long "i" |
The tricky sounds for English speakers
A handful of letters have no English equivalent. These are usually the ones written with numbers in Arabizi:
- ح (7) — a breathy "h" deep in the throat
- ع (3) — a tightening of the throat; the hardest sound for beginners
- خ (kh / 5) — the rasping "ch" of Bach
- غ (gh / 8) — like gargling a French "r"
- ق (q / 9) — a "k" made far back in the mouth
The emphatic letters (ص ض ط ظ) are "heavier" versions of s, d, t, and th — pronounced with the tongue lower and the mouth more open.
The four "moon" and "sun" letters (bonus)
When you add the definite article ال ("the"), some letters absorb the "l" sound (sun letters) and others keep it (moon letters). For example, الشمس is pronounced ash-shams, not al-shams. Don't worry about mastering this early — just be aware it exists.
The fastest way to start: type the letters
Reading charts only takes you so far. The quickest way to internalize the shapes is to write them. Open the Arabizi.io keyboard and:
- Type each letter's Arabizi code (e.g.
b,t,th) and watch the Arabic appear. - Try short words:
bab→ باب (door),kitab→ كتاب (book). - Use the on-screen keyboard to find letters visually.
Typing connects the sound, the shape, and the keystroke all at once — see how typing helps you learn Arabic faster.
Next steps
- Add short vowels with our tashkeel guide.
- Learn 50 common Arabic phrases.
- Practice on the free Arabic keyboard.