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Here are the shapes of the Arabic Letters
Curve-pointy
The curve-pointy letters have a single curve in isolated or initial form, but when they are in the middle of a word, they form a simple point up.
Baa'
The Arabic letter Baa' is a Moon Letter.
How the Arabic letter Ba is pronounced
Baa' is the counterpart of the English letter B that can be pronounced by pressing the lips together and then slightly pushing air out of the mouth forcing the lips apart.
Basic Sample words of Baa' in different states
Baa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
بَجعة bajaah- swan
لُعبة lubah- toy
عِنب enab- grapes
Baa' represents all four kinds of sounds. And they are distinguished by “Al-Tashkeel” as we mentioned earlier.
Baa' with a fatha: بَـ ـبَـ might have a soft sound like:
– Baa' in Bad
It may also have a gruff sound like:
– Baa' in Bath
Baa' with a kasra: بِـ ـبِـ- sounds like:
– Be in Best
Baa' with a damma: بُـ ـبُـ sounds like:
– Bo in Book
– Bo in Robot
Baa' with sokoon: ـبْـ ـبْsounds like:
– B in Object
Look-a-likes
Baa' ب is the twin sister of the next two letters Ta ت and Tha ث . And it might also look a bit like a letter called Fa ف that we will discuss later.
Mnemonic
Baa' on the line looks like a side view of a nice Boat on the river.
Baa' got its dot Below. But Ta and Tha have theirs on Top.
How the Arabic letter Ba is pronounced
Baa' is the counterpart of the English letter B that can be pronounced by pressing the lips together and then slightly pushing air out of the mouth forcing the lips apart.
Basic Sample words of Baa' in different states
Baa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
بَجعة bajaah- swan
لُعبة lubah- toy
عِنب enab- grapes
Baa' represents all four kinds of sounds. And they are distinguished by “Al-Tashkeel” as we mentioned earlier.
Baa' with a fatha: بَـ ـبَـ might have a soft sound like:
– Baa' in Bad
It may also have a gruff sound like:
– Baa' in Bath
Baa' with a kasra: بِـ ـبِـ- sounds like:
– Be in Best
Baa' with a damma: بُـ ـبُـ sounds like:
– Bo in Book
– Bo in Robot
Baa' with sokoon: ـبْـ ـبْsounds like:
– B in Object
Look-a-likes
Baa' ب is the twin sister of the next two letters Ta ت and Tha ث . And it might also look a bit like a letter called Fa ف that we will discuss later.
Mnemonic
Baa' on the line looks like a side view of a nice Boat on the river.
Baa' got its dot Below. But Ta and Tha have theirs on Top.
Taa'
The Arabic letter Ta is a Sun Letter.
Taa' follows the basic shape of Baa' but has two dots on top instead of one underneath.
How the Arabic letter Taa' is pronounced
Taa' is the counterpart of the English letter T that is pronounced by having the tip of the tongue pressed against the top of the mouth right behind the front tooth then slightly pushing air to separate the tongue and upper mouth. Every time this letter is spoken, the tip of the tongue should touch the upper part of the mouth.
Basic Sample words of Taa' in different states
Taa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
تَمر tamr-dates
زَعتر zaatar-thyme
تُوت toot-berry
Taa' is one of the letters that only represent three kinds of sounds and all of them are soft.
It doesn’t have a gruff sound when it comes with a fatha.
But do you know which letter does? It is ( ط ), the sound-mate of Taa' ( ت )
Taa' with a fatha: ( َتَـ ) (ـتـ ) has a soft sound like:
– Ta in Tan
with a kasra: ( تِـ ) ( ـتِـ ) sounds like:
– Te in Team
Taa' with a damma: ( تُـ ) ( ـتُـ ) sounds like:
– To in Tour
Taa' with sokoon: ( ـتْـ ) ( ـتْ ) sounds like:
– T in Matrix
The final form of Ta can also come as Ta Marbootah which can also be transliterated as tâ’ marbûta or taa’ MarbooTah and it means “Closed or Tied Ta”.
Arabic words ending in Ta Marboota are usually of feminine gender.
This form is also pronounced as “T” when orally linked to the following word while it’s just pronounced as “h” if the word is separately read (The word is said by itself).
This letter’s position is always final and it often stresses the feminine gender ie. Ta Marboota is used to indicate in most cases the feminine names, adjectives or nouns.
This form is used when the noun belongs to something or someone.
This letter is written in two different ways which is either as a joined letter, if the letter next to the last is linked to the following one (a connector) or as an isolated final letter, if the preceding letter is not linked to it (a non-connector)
سيارة أحمد sayyaratt Ahmad- Ahmad's car
قطة السيدة qettatt al sayedah- the lady's cat
Look-a-likes
Taa' ( ت ) is the twin sister of Baa' ( ب ) and Thaa' ( ث ). But looks like it has a better relationship with Thaa'!
Ta Marbootah looks like a combination of Ha(ه) and Taa' (ت). It always comes at the end of the word.
Mnemonic
Ta looks exactly like the smiley face that you use in chat and social media.
Taa' follows the basic shape of Baa' but has two dots on top instead of one underneath.
How the Arabic letter Taa' is pronounced
Taa' is the counterpart of the English letter T that is pronounced by having the tip of the tongue pressed against the top of the mouth right behind the front tooth then slightly pushing air to separate the tongue and upper mouth. Every time this letter is spoken, the tip of the tongue should touch the upper part of the mouth.
Basic Sample words of Taa' in different states
Taa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
تَمر tamr-dates
زَعتر zaatar-thyme
تُوت toot-berry
Taa' is one of the letters that only represent three kinds of sounds and all of them are soft.
It doesn’t have a gruff sound when it comes with a fatha.
But do you know which letter does? It is ( ط ), the sound-mate of Taa' ( ت )
Taa' with a fatha: ( َتَـ ) (ـتـ ) has a soft sound like:
– Ta in Tan
with a kasra: ( تِـ ) ( ـتِـ ) sounds like:
– Te in Team
Taa' with a damma: ( تُـ ) ( ـتُـ ) sounds like:
– To in Tour
Taa' with sokoon: ( ـتْـ ) ( ـتْ ) sounds like:
– T in Matrix
The final form of Ta can also come as Ta Marbootah which can also be transliterated as tâ’ marbûta or taa’ MarbooTah and it means “Closed or Tied Ta”.
Arabic words ending in Ta Marboota are usually of feminine gender.
This form is also pronounced as “T” when orally linked to the following word while it’s just pronounced as “h” if the word is separately read (The word is said by itself).
This letter’s position is always final and it often stresses the feminine gender ie. Ta Marboota is used to indicate in most cases the feminine names, adjectives or nouns.
This form is used when the noun belongs to something or someone.
This letter is written in two different ways which is either as a joined letter, if the letter next to the last is linked to the following one (a connector) or as an isolated final letter, if the preceding letter is not linked to it (a non-connector)
سيارة أحمد sayyaratt Ahmad- Ahmad's car
قطة السيدة qettatt al sayedah- the lady's cat
Look-a-likes
Taa' ( ت ) is the twin sister of Baa' ( ب ) and Thaa' ( ث ). But looks like it has a better relationship with Thaa'!
Ta Marbootah looks like a combination of Ha(ه) and Taa' (ت). It always comes at the end of the word.
Mnemonic
Ta looks exactly like the smiley face that you use in chat and social media.
Thaa'
The Arabic letter Thaa' is a Sun Letter.
Thaa' looks like a Ta that has added an extra dot on top of the two first ones.
How the Arabic letter Thaa' is pronounced
Thaa' is the counterpart of the English sound of the unvoiced “th” as in three and think which is pronounced by putting the tongue between the teeth then blowing air out.
Basic Sample words of Thaa' in different states
Thaa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
ثُوم thawm- garlic
قِثاء qethaa'- cucmber
مثلثmothalath- triangle
Thaa' is one of the Arabic letters which represents three kinds of sounds and all of them are soft. It doesn’t have a gruff sound when it comes with a fatha.
Thaa' with a fatha: ( ثَـ ) ( ـثَـ ) has a soft sound like:
-Tha in Thanks
with a kasra: ( ثِـ ) ( ـثِـ ) sounds like:
– Thi in Think Thief
with a damma: ( ثُـ ) ( ـثُـ ) sounds like:
– Tho in Thought
with sokoon: ( ـثْـ ) ( ـثْ ) sounds like:
– Th in Athlete
Look-a-likes
Thaa' ( ث ) is the twin sister of Baa' ( ب ) and Taa' ( ت ).
Mnemonic
Thaa' has Three points that are placed like one of the Three Egyptian Pyramids.
Thaa' looks like a Ta that has added an extra dot on top of the two first ones.
How the Arabic letter Thaa' is pronounced
Thaa' is the counterpart of the English sound of the unvoiced “th” as in three and think which is pronounced by putting the tongue between the teeth then blowing air out.
Basic Sample words of Thaa' in different states
Thaa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
ثُوم thawm- garlic
قِثاء qethaa'- cucmber
مثلثmothalath- triangle
Thaa' is one of the Arabic letters which represents three kinds of sounds and all of them are soft. It doesn’t have a gruff sound when it comes with a fatha.
Thaa' with a fatha: ( ثَـ ) ( ـثَـ ) has a soft sound like:
-Tha in Thanks
with a kasra: ( ثِـ ) ( ـثِـ ) sounds like:
– Thi in Think Thief
with a damma: ( ثُـ ) ( ـثُـ ) sounds like:
– Tho in Thought
with sokoon: ( ـثْـ ) ( ـثْ ) sounds like:
– Th in Athlete
Look-a-likes
Thaa' ( ث ) is the twin sister of Baa' ( ب ) and Taa' ( ت ).
Mnemonic
Thaa' has Three points that are placed like one of the Three Egyptian Pyramids.
Noon
The Arabic letter Noon is a Sun Letter.
How the Arabic letter Noon is pronounced
Noon represents the English letter N which is pronounced by pressing the tongue on top of the upper portion of the mouth and blowing air out of the nose.
Have you noticed that (Kaaf-Laam-Meem-Noon) follow the same order as their English counterparts (K-L-M-N)? That should help you remember the order.
Basic Sample words of Noon in different states
Noon is connectable to both sides. It take these three forms depending on its position in the word:
نعامة naamah-ostrich
عنوانonwan-address
Noon represents all four kinds of sounds:
Noon with a fatha: ( نَـ ) ( ـنَـ ) has a soft sound like:
– Na in National
– na in Canal
Or it might have a gruff sound like:
– Nu in Number
Noon with a kasra: ( نِـ ) ( ـنِـ ) sounds like:
– Ne in Need
Noon with a damma: ( نُـ ) ( ـنُـ ) sounds like:
– No in Note
– no in Technology
Noon with sokoon: ( ـنْـ ) ( ـنْ ) sounds like:
– n in Angel
– n in Plan or Green
Look-a-likes
The Isolated form of Noon ( ن ) looks a bit like the Isolated form of Qaf ( ق ). Both have a circular shape.
The Initial and Medial forms of Noon ( نـ ) ( ـنـ ) is similar to the forms of the group Baa' ( بـ ) ( ـبـ ), Taa' ( تـ ) ( ـتـ ) and Thaa' ( ثـ ) ( ـثـ ).
Mnemonic
Noon is half a Circle. It looks like the letter C but rotated anticlockwise by 90 degrees.
How the Arabic letter Noon is pronounced
Noon represents the English letter N which is pronounced by pressing the tongue on top of the upper portion of the mouth and blowing air out of the nose.
Have you noticed that (Kaaf-Laam-Meem-Noon) follow the same order as their English counterparts (K-L-M-N)? That should help you remember the order.
Basic Sample words of Noon in different states
Noon is connectable to both sides. It take these three forms depending on its position in the word:
نعامة naamah-ostrich
عنوانonwan-address
Noon represents all four kinds of sounds:
Noon with a fatha: ( نَـ ) ( ـنَـ ) has a soft sound like:
– Na in National
– na in Canal
Or it might have a gruff sound like:
– Nu in Number
Noon with a kasra: ( نِـ ) ( ـنِـ ) sounds like:
– Ne in Need
Noon with a damma: ( نُـ ) ( ـنُـ ) sounds like:
– No in Note
– no in Technology
Noon with sokoon: ( ـنْـ ) ( ـنْ ) sounds like:
– n in Angel
– n in Plan or Green
Look-a-likes
The Isolated form of Noon ( ن ) looks a bit like the Isolated form of Qaf ( ق ). Both have a circular shape.
The Initial and Medial forms of Noon ( نـ ) ( ـنـ ) is similar to the forms of the group Baa' ( بـ ) ( ـبـ ), Taa' ( تـ ) ( ـتـ ) and Thaa' ( ثـ ) ( ـثـ ).
Mnemonic
Noon is half a Circle. It looks like the letter C but rotated anticlockwise by 90 degrees.
Yaa'
The Arabic letter Yaa' is a Moon Letter.
How the Arabic letter Yaa' is pronounced
Yaa' is the counterpart of the English letter Y but also makes sounds similar to ee and i.
Yaa' is one of the three letters Alif ( أ ), Wow ( و ), Yaa' ( ي ) that might be either a consonant or a vowel letter.
Basic Sample words of Yaa' in different states
يَد yadd -hand
عِيدeid- feast
بيت bayt-house
كُرسيّ kursey-chair
Consonant Yaa' could come at the beginning, middle or at the end of a word and it represents all four kinds of sounds:
Yaa' with a fatha: ( يَـ ) ( ـيَـ ) has a soft sound like:
– Ya in Yahoo
Yaa' with a kasra: ( يِـ ) ( ـيِـ ) sounds like:
– Ye in Yellow or Year
Yaa' with a damma: ( يُـ ) ( ـيُـ ) sounds like:
– Yo in You or Yoga
Yaa' with sokoon: ( ـيْـ ) ( ـيْ ) sounds like:
– i in Voice
Vowel Ya comes either at the middle or the end of the word. It always come with sokoon and the letter before it always come with a kasra:
Medial vowel Yaa' sounds like ee in “Week” or “Green” or like ea in “Beach” or ei in “Weird”.
جديد jadeed- new
Final vowel – Final vowel Yaa' sounds like ee in “Free” or like y in “Body” or ey in “Valley”.
قاضي qaadii- judge
Vowel Yaa' is also an extra tool that might be added to the end of the nouns to refer to the possessive adjective (my).
كتابيkitaby - my book
Look-a-likes
Isolated form of Yaa' has a unique shape.
But the Initial and Medial forms of Yaa' ( يـ ) ( ـيـ ) is similar to the letters Noon ( نـ ) ( ـنـ ), Ba ( بـ ) ( ـبـ ), Ta ( تـ ) ( ـتـ ) and Tha ( ثـ ) ( ـثـ ).
Mnemonic
The Isolated (and Final) Yaa' looks like the shape of a duck or a swan.
How the Arabic letter Yaa' is pronounced
Yaa' is the counterpart of the English letter Y but also makes sounds similar to ee and i.
Yaa' is one of the three letters Alif ( أ ), Wow ( و ), Yaa' ( ي ) that might be either a consonant or a vowel letter.
Basic Sample words of Yaa' in different states
يَد yadd -hand
عِيدeid- feast
بيت bayt-house
كُرسيّ kursey-chair
Consonant Yaa' could come at the beginning, middle or at the end of a word and it represents all four kinds of sounds:
Yaa' with a fatha: ( يَـ ) ( ـيَـ ) has a soft sound like:
– Ya in Yahoo
Yaa' with a kasra: ( يِـ ) ( ـيِـ ) sounds like:
– Ye in Yellow or Year
Yaa' with a damma: ( يُـ ) ( ـيُـ ) sounds like:
– Yo in You or Yoga
Yaa' with sokoon: ( ـيْـ ) ( ـيْ ) sounds like:
– i in Voice
Vowel Ya comes either at the middle or the end of the word. It always come with sokoon and the letter before it always come with a kasra:
Medial vowel Yaa' sounds like ee in “Week” or “Green” or like ea in “Beach” or ei in “Weird”.
جديد jadeed- new
Final vowel – Final vowel Yaa' sounds like ee in “Free” or like y in “Body” or ey in “Valley”.
قاضي qaadii- judge
Vowel Yaa' is also an extra tool that might be added to the end of the nouns to refer to the possessive adjective (my).
كتابيkitaby - my book
Look-a-likes
Isolated form of Yaa' has a unique shape.
But the Initial and Medial forms of Yaa' ( يـ ) ( ـيـ ) is similar to the letters Noon ( نـ ) ( ـنـ ), Ba ( بـ ) ( ـبـ ), Ta ( تـ ) ( ـتـ ) and Tha ( ثـ ) ( ـثـ ).
Mnemonic
The Isolated (and Final) Yaa' looks like the shape of a duck or a swan.
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