ا
Alif
Alif
Long ā / carrier for hamzah
Read • recognise • repeat
Arabic Alphabet — Alif to Yāʾ
Learn all 28 Arabic letters with colourful cards, simple sound cues and a clear route into Qur’an reading.
Arabic basics
Four things to know before you begin.
Right to leftArabic is read and written from right to left.
28 lettersThese cards show the standard 28-letter Arabic alphabet.
Shapes can changeMany letters change shape at the beginning, middle and end of a word.
Short vowelsFatḥah, kasrah and ḍammah are vowel marks added around letters.
All 28 letters
Learn one small group at a time.
Use the sound cue as a beginner prompt. For letters with no exact English equivalent, listening to a qualified teacher is especially helpful.
ب
Bāʾ
Baa
b as in ball
ت
Tāʾ
Taa
t as in tea
ث
Thāʾ
Thaa
th as in think
ج
Jīm
Jeem
j as in jam
ح
Ḥāʾ
Haa
deep breathy ḥ; no exact English sound
خ
Khāʾ
Khaa
kh as in Scottish loch
د
Dāl
Daal
d as in dog
ذ
Dhāl
Dhaal
th as in this
ر
Rāʾ
Raa
a light rolled/tapped r
ز
Zāy
Zaay
z as in zebra
س
Sīn
Seen
s as in sun
ش
Shīn
Sheen
sh as in shop
ص
Ṣād
Saad
heavy/emphatic s
ض
Ḍād
Daad
heavy/emphatic d
ط
Ṭāʾ
Taa
heavy/emphatic t
ظ
Ẓāʾ
Zaa
emphatic ẓ / dh; no exact English match
ع
ʿAyn
Ayn
throat sound; no exact English match
غ
Ghayn
Ghayn
gh from the back of the throat
ف
Fāʾ
Faa
f as in fish
ق
Qāf
Qaaf
deep q from the back of the tongue
ك
Kāf
Kaaf
k as in kite
ل
Lām
Laam
l as in lamp
م
Mīm
Meem
m as in moon
ن
Nūn
Noon
n as in nose
ه
Hāʾ
Haa
h as in hat
و
Wāw
Waaw
w as in water / long ū
ي
Yāʾ
Yaa
y as in yes / long ī
Further learning reference: eArabicLearning — Alif, Ba, Taa: The Arabic Alphabet Basics ↗. Step by Step Salah’s cards and wording are independently designed.