A small stroke above the letter: short a.
← Back to my adventuresOUR COLOURFUL ARABIC ALPHABET28 little letters.
28 little letters.
One big adventure.
Meet each Arabic letter, notice its shape and dots, and practise two at a time. A grown-up can help with the correct sounds.
My Arabic journey
0 of 14 letter pairs practised
THE FIRST DISCOVERY
Two little letters. One at a time.
Look closely, find the shape, then trace it with your finger. Your progress is a practice record, not a pronunciation score.
Pair 1 of 14One little lesson at a time
Look at these two letters
Hear Alif and Bāʾ
A real speaker says the letter name. Tap to listen, wait, then try saying it with a grown-up if you like. This is not a pronunciation test.
Select one letter to hear it.
Recordings by Escuela Internacional de Árabe (Eiarabe), CC BY 4.0. Alif source ↗ · Bāʾ source ↗. External streaming requires internet; other letter-name recordings are not yet individually sourced or reviewed.
Hear the Arabic alphabet
Listen to a real speaker naming all 28 letters in order. Choose two shapes to practise with a grown-up. This recording is the full alphabet, not an individual-letter clip.
The same human recording plays at a slower pace. This is the complete alphabet, not individual letter clips.
Human recording: M. Abuhelwa · Public domain · Original and licensing ↗
Can you find this letter?
Look at the shapes.
Try tracing a letter with your finger
Choose a letter, follow its shape with your finger, or draw it on paper. This is for exploring shapes, not checking your handwriting.
Try it with your finger or on paper.
Letter DetectivesFind the dots · choose from three letters
Clue 1 of 12Look closely. There is no timer or score.
Which letter has one dot underneath?
Look at the shapes and dots. You can point, say your choice, or tap a letter.
Take your time. You can try as many times as you like.
For grown-ups: ask “Where are the dots?” This practises looking at letter shapes, not Arabic pronunciation. You can also use real letter cards away from the screen.
Shape ChangersDiscover how Arabic letters look when they connect
Arabic reads from right to left. Many letters change shape when they join their neighbours. Look at the connecting strokes and dots. There is no timer, score or speaking test.
Bāʾ · ب
Find that shape
Shape 1 of 12
Find Bāʾ in its middle form.
Choose one of the three shapes.
NEXT SMALL READING STEPTiny vowel marks: a, i, uLearn Fathah, Kasrah and Dammah, then spot the mark. No extra audio or videos.
A little mark changes how an Arabic letter sounds. The marks are called ḥarakāt. Try each one on the same letter. Read it with a teacher or grown-up if you can.
A small stroke below the letter: short i.
A little curl above the letter: short u.
LOOK · FIND · PRACTISE
Find the tiny mark
Look at the mark, not only the big letter. Select the correct shape. Take as long as you like.
Practice 1 of 12
Find the Fathah mark above Bāʾ.
Choose a shape above.
For grown-ups: the examples show short sounds (ba, bi, bu), not stretched letter names (Bāʾ). Use a qualified teacher for reliable pronunciation; this activity teaches what the written mark looks like. Short-vowel teaching reference ↗
AFTER THE THREE SHORT VOWELSSukūn: find the resting markSee how a tiny circle shows that a letter has no short vowel. Take a gentle 12-step practice.
You have met Fathah (◌َ), Kasrah (◌ِ) and Dammah (◌ُ). Now meet Sukūn (◌ْ): a small sign above a consonant that tells us it has no short vowel after it. The consonant is still read; Sukūn does not mean silent.
LOOK AT IT IN A SHORT WORD
The last letter rests
In مِنْ (min, “from”), Nūn has Sukūn. In قُلْ (qul, “say”), Lām has Sukūn. Look at the tiny mark, then ask a trusted teacher to model the sounds.
LOOK · NOTICE · CHOOSE
Which little mark can you find?
No timer, no score, and no need to record your voice. Try again whenever you like.
Practice 1 of 12
Find Sukūn on Bāʾ.
Find the small circle above the letter.
Grown-up guide: Invite children to point at the marks. This is a visual recognition activity, not a Tajwīd lesson or a certified pronunciation guide. The Open University: Arabic vowel and Sukūn table ↗ · Sukūn examples ↗.
NEXT READING ADVENTURE · AFTER SUKŪNShaddah: one letter, twice the soundSee how the little mark doubles a consonant. Try 12 gentle recognition challenges.
You already know three short vowels and Sukūn. Now meet Shaddah ◌ّ. It tells you that a consonant is doubled in pronunciation. It does not simply make the vowel longer or mean you should shout.
ONE WITHOUT A VOWELبْBāʾ with Sukūn
ONE WITH A VOWELبَBāʾ with Fathah
SHADDAH IS THE SHORTCUTبَّOne written letter, doubled consonant
This is a way to understand the spelling, not an instruction to say two separate syllables. Ask a fluent teacher to demonstrate the sound naturally.
LOOK IN REAL WORDS
Find the doubled letter
أُمّ (umm, mother) has Shaddah on Mīm. رَبّ (rabb, Lord) has Shaddah on Bāʾ. The written sign belongs to the consonant, not the vowel.
LOOK · NOTICE · CHOOSE
Find the doubled letter
Spot Shaddah and compare it with Sukūn and the short vowels. There is no timer or score. Hints are always available.
Ask a grown-up to point to the mark with you. Sound practice needs a trusted Arabic teacher or clear human recording.
Practice 1 of 12
Find Shaddah with Fathah on Bāʾ.
Look for the little marks on the letter.
Parent/teacher note: This lesson teaches written-mark recognition, not certified Arabic recitation or a full Tajwīd course. A doubled consonant does not automatically lengthen a vowel. See Sukūn and Shaddah beginner explanation ↗. No generated voice, tracking or account is used.
NEXT READING ADVENTURE · AFTER SHADDAHTanwīn: spot the double vowelsMeet three new word endings: -an, -in and -un. Explore 12 playful reading challenges.
You can already recognise short vowels, Sukūn and Shaddah. Now discover Tanwīn (تَنْوِين): two small vowel marks that usually sit on the end of an indefinite noun or adjective. In connected reading, they add an n sound without writing a new letter Nūn.
بًاFathatan
-an
Two Fathah strokes above. An extra Alif is often written at the end, as in this example.
بٍKasratan
-in
Two Kasrah strokes below the final consonant.
بٌDammatan
-un
A doubled Dammah sign above the final consonant.
SAME WORD, THREE ENDINGS
A book can wear three marks
The marks change the ending in connected speech. Their use also depends on Arabic grammar; this activity focuses on recognising the writing, not choosing case endings.
كِتَابًا-an
كِتَابٍ-in
كِتَابٌ-un
Important for Qur’an reading: These -an / -in / -un cues describe connected reading. When you stop at a word, the ending may change according to rules of waqf; and Tanwīn before the next letter follows Tajwīd rules. Learn those sounds with a qualified teacher. This is a written-mark lesson, with no computer-generated recitation.
Find the tiny double mark
First, spot the correctly marked word. Then match a written word to its ending. No timer, account or score. You can ask for a hint at any time.
Practice 1 of 12
Find Fathatan on the word for book.
Look carefully at the ending.
For grown-ups: pronunciation requires a trustworthy human teacher. Sources: Quran Academy — Tanwīn ↗ · Islam Learn — double-vowel examples ↗. This is not an independent religious or Tajwīd certification.
NEXT READING ADVENTURE · USE WHAT YOU KNOWRead your first Arabic wordsBuild eight real short words from right to left. Tap each letter, then discover the whole word.
You have learned the letters, short vowels, Sukūn and Shaddah. Now put them together! Read from right to left, touch one letter at a time, then blend the pieces into a complete word. You can practise quietly or invite a trusted teacher to model the sounds.
1Look at the full Arabic word.
2Tap the letter pieces from right to left.
3Blend the pieces and reveal its meaning.
Word 1 of 8NO TIMER · NO SCORE · NO ACCOUNT
LOOK · TAP · BLEND
Start with three little sounds
كَتَبَ
Start at the right.
THE WHOLE WORD
What did we read?
Open the sound tiles first, then find out what the written word means. Ask a grown-up to read it with you.
Your reading clue appears here.
For parents and teachers: These are ordinary fully vowelled Arabic words, not a Qur’an recitation course. Roman-letter cues are approximate and some Arabic sounds do not exist in English. Do not use the prompts to judge pronunciation; seek a knowledgeable Arabic teacher for listening and mouth-position practice. University of Oregon — short vowels ↗ · Open University — Arabic writing and marks ↗.
بَاARABIC READING · NEXT STAGELong vowels — stretch the soundAlif · Wāw · Yāʾ · six recognition exercises
Compare the short vowel with its longer partner. A fatḥah can be followed by Alif for ā, a ḍammah by Wāw for ū, and a kasrah by Yāʾ for ī. These are reading cues, not a recording or a tajwīd assessment.
FATḤAH + ALIFبَ → بَا
ba → bā
ḌAMMAH + WĀWبُ → بُو
bu → bū
KASRAH + YĀʾبِ → بِي
bi → bī
Word 1 of 6NO SCORES · NO TIMER
Which letter carries the long vowel in this word?
قَالَ
qāla — he said
Read the word, then choose the letter.
For families: Written romanisation is approximate. Ask a knowledgeable teacher to demonstrate the sound and Qur’anic stopping rules. Source: Open University Arabic long-vowel lesson ↗
YOUR LETTER COLLECTION
Meet all 28 Arabic letters
Select any letter to open its pair lesson above. Every shape below uses real Arabic text, not generated lettering.
📄 Try it away from the screen
Trace the letters with a finger, pencil or printable. Shapes first; pronunciation needs a reliable teacher.
Print the 14-page Arabic practice pack ↓