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Here are the shapes of the Arabic Letters
The hook letters have a downward hook in their final form and an upward hook in their medial form.
Jeem
The Arabic letter Jeem is a Moon Letter.
Basic Sample words of Jeem in different states
Jeem is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
It has a basic shape that is common for the three letters; Jeem, Hhaa' and Khaa'.
How the Arabic letter Jeem is pronounced
Jeem is the counterpart of the English letter J in “Job” if we are talking about the “correct” pronunciation of Modern Standard Arabic.
But in some Arabic countries like Egypt they might pronounce it as g in “game” and they call the letter ‘Geem’ which is not actually right, because the sound of g in “game” doesn’t really exist in Modern Standard Arabic but still it’s very common and understandable.
جَرس Jaras- bell
نَجم najm- star
سِراج Seraj- lantern
Word examples using the Arabic letter Jeem with diacritics
Jeem represents all four kinds of sounds.
Jeem with a fatha: ( جَـ ) ( ـجَـ ) has a soft sound like
– Ja in January or Jam
– Ja in Pajamas
Jeem with a fatha might also have a gruff sound like:
– Ja in Jar
Jeem with a kasra: ( جِـ ) ( ـجِـ ) sounds like:
– Ge in Gentleman
– Gy in Gym
– Gi in Engineer
Jeem with a damma: ( جُـ ) ( ـجُـ ) sounds like
– Ju in Juice or June
Jeem with sokoon: ( ـجْـ ) ( ـجْ ) sounds like:
– S in Casual
– G in Prestige or Orange
Look-a-likes
Jeem(ج ), Hha ( ح) and Kha ( خ ) are twin sisters or shape-mates.
Mnemonic
Drawing the isolated form of any letter of this group starts with a part that looks like the English number 7 with an extra extension to the right side.
Wait a second… They look exactly like the English number 2. But rotated 180 degrees!
Basic Sample words of Jeem in different states
Jeem is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
It has a basic shape that is common for the three letters; Jeem, Hhaa' and Khaa'.
How the Arabic letter Jeem is pronounced
Jeem is the counterpart of the English letter J in “Job” if we are talking about the “correct” pronunciation of Modern Standard Arabic.
But in some Arabic countries like Egypt they might pronounce it as g in “game” and they call the letter ‘Geem’ which is not actually right, because the sound of g in “game” doesn’t really exist in Modern Standard Arabic but still it’s very common and understandable.
جَرس Jaras- bell
نَجم najm- star
سِراج Seraj- lantern
Word examples using the Arabic letter Jeem with diacritics
Jeem represents all four kinds of sounds.
Jeem with a fatha: ( جَـ ) ( ـجَـ ) has a soft sound like
– Ja in January or Jam
– Ja in Pajamas
Jeem with a fatha might also have a gruff sound like:
– Ja in Jar
Jeem with a kasra: ( جِـ ) ( ـجِـ ) sounds like:
– Ge in Gentleman
– Gy in Gym
– Gi in Engineer
Jeem with a damma: ( جُـ ) ( ـجُـ ) sounds like
– Ju in Juice or June
Jeem with sokoon: ( ـجْـ ) ( ـجْ ) sounds like:
– S in Casual
– G in Prestige or Orange
Look-a-likes
Jeem(ج ), Hha ( ح) and Kha ( خ ) are twin sisters or shape-mates.
Mnemonic
Drawing the isolated form of any letter of this group starts with a part that looks like the English number 7 with an extra extension to the right side.
Wait a second… They look exactly like the English number 2. But rotated 180 degrees!
Hhaa'
The Arabic letter Hhaa' is a Moon Letter.
It has the same basic shape of jeem after removing the dot.
How the Arabic letter Hhaa'
is pronounced
Hhaa' as we mentioned earlier is one of the letters that do not have a counterpart in English. But you might have heard it before because it is a part of the most famous Arabic name “Muhammad”, the name of the prophet of the Islamic religion.
Non-Arabic speakers usually pronounce it with a sound similar to the English letter H, which is represented by a different Arabic letter called Heh ( هـ ). And that actually sounds kind of funny to Arabic Natives!
The sound is close to the noise you make while breathing on glasses before cleaning them or when you pant if you have a mouthful of food or like a hissing h.
Basic Sample words of Hhaa' in different states
Hhaa' is connectable in all three cases. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
حِصان hesan-horse
طَحينة tahinah- tahini
تُفاح toffah-apple
with a fatha: ( حَـ ) ( ـحَـ ) ha
with a kasra: ( حِـ ) ( ـحِـ ) he
with a damma: ( حُـ ) ( ـحُـ )ho
with sokoon: ( ـحْـ ) ( ـحْ )h
Look-a-likes
Jeem (ج), Hhaa'(ح) and Khaa'(خ) are twin sisters or shape-mates.
Mnemonic
Drawing the isolated form of any letter of this group starts with a part that looks like the English number 7 with an extra extension to the right side.
Wait a second… They look exactly like the English number 2. But rotated 180 degrees!
It has the same basic shape of jeem after removing the dot.
How the Arabic letter Hhaa'
is pronounced
Hhaa' as we mentioned earlier is one of the letters that do not have a counterpart in English. But you might have heard it before because it is a part of the most famous Arabic name “Muhammad”, the name of the prophet of the Islamic religion.
Non-Arabic speakers usually pronounce it with a sound similar to the English letter H, which is represented by a different Arabic letter called Heh ( هـ ). And that actually sounds kind of funny to Arabic Natives!
The sound is close to the noise you make while breathing on glasses before cleaning them or when you pant if you have a mouthful of food or like a hissing h.
Basic Sample words of Hhaa' in different states
Hhaa' is connectable in all three cases. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
حِصان hesan-horse
طَحينة tahinah- tahini
تُفاح toffah-apple
with a fatha: ( حَـ ) ( ـحَـ ) ha
with a kasra: ( حِـ ) ( ـحِـ ) he
with a damma: ( حُـ ) ( ـحُـ )ho
with sokoon: ( ـحْـ ) ( ـحْ )h
Look-a-likes
Jeem (ج), Hhaa'(ح) and Khaa'(خ) are twin sisters or shape-mates.
Mnemonic
Drawing the isolated form of any letter of this group starts with a part that looks like the English number 7 with an extra extension to the right side.
Wait a second… They look exactly like the English number 2. But rotated 180 degrees!
Khaa'
The Arabic letter Khaa' is a Moon Letter.
It has the same basic shape of Hha after adding a dot on top.
How the Arabic letter Khaa' is pronounced
Khaa' is also one of the letters that doesn’t have a counterpart in English. Non-Arabic speakers usually pronounce it with a sound similar to the English letter K. But K is the counterpart of a different Arabic letter called Kaaf ( ك ) or the combination KH.
Khaa' also exist in the Spanish language; in the Spanish “J” in the name “Juan”. It also exists in German, as in the German pronunciation of the “ch” of “Zurich”.
Another close example is the hard ‘ch’ sound in Loch Ness.
Basic Sample words of Khaa' in different states
Khaa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
خَروف kharouf- sheep
نَخلة nakhlah- palm
خوخkhoukh- peach
Khaa' with a fatha: ( خَـ ) ( ـخَـ )kha
with a kasra: ( خِـ ) ( ـخِـ )khe
with a damma: ( خُـ ) ( ـخُـ )kho
with sokoon: ( ـخْـ ) ( ـخْ )kh
Look-a-likes
Jeem (ج), Hhaa' (ح) and Khaa'(خ) are twin sisters or shape-mates.
Mnemonic
Drawing the isolated form of any letter of this group starts with a part that looks like the English number 7 with an extra extension to the right side.
Wait a second… They look exactly like the English number 2. But rotated 180 degrees!
It has the same basic shape of Hha after adding a dot on top.
How the Arabic letter Khaa' is pronounced
Khaa' is also one of the letters that doesn’t have a counterpart in English. Non-Arabic speakers usually pronounce it with a sound similar to the English letter K. But K is the counterpart of a different Arabic letter called Kaaf ( ك ) or the combination KH.
Khaa' also exist in the Spanish language; in the Spanish “J” in the name “Juan”. It also exists in German, as in the German pronunciation of the “ch” of “Zurich”.
Another close example is the hard ‘ch’ sound in Loch Ness.
Basic Sample words of Khaa' in different states
Khaa' is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
خَروف kharouf- sheep
نَخلة nakhlah- palm
خوخkhoukh- peach
Khaa' with a fatha: ( خَـ ) ( ـخَـ )kha
with a kasra: ( خِـ ) ( ـخِـ )khe
with a damma: ( خُـ ) ( ـخُـ )kho
with sokoon: ( ـخْـ ) ( ـخْ )kh
Look-a-likes
Jeem (ج), Hhaa' (ح) and Khaa'(خ) are twin sisters or shape-mates.
Mnemonic
Drawing the isolated form of any letter of this group starts with a part that looks like the English number 7 with an extra extension to the right side.
Wait a second… They look exactly like the English number 2. But rotated 180 degrees!
Ayn
The Arabic letter Ayn is a Moon Letter.
It has a basic shape that is common for the two letters; Ayn and Ghayn.
How the Arabic letter Ayn
is pronounced
This glyph and its shape-mate Ghayn ( غ ) are considered two of the most difficult Arabic sounds for new students to master.
You really have to train yourself to learn how to pronounce Ayn. It is a guttural a sound produced from the back of the throat.
To avoid confusion between Alif and Ayn, in many sources you will find the letter Ayn represented by the number 3.
Basic Sample words of Ayn in different states
Ayn is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
عَروس arous- bride
نَعجة naajah- ewe
نِعناع neanaa-mint
Look-a-likes
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) are shape-mates.
The connected forms of Ayn ( ـع ) ( ـعـ ) and Ghayn ( ـغ ) ( ـغـ ) might look a bit similar to the connected forms of Hha ( ـح ) ( ـحـ ) and Kha ( ـخ ) ( ـخـ ) in some fonts.
Mnemonic
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) look like a reversed number 3.
It has a basic shape that is common for the two letters; Ayn and Ghayn.
How the Arabic letter Ayn
is pronounced
This glyph and its shape-mate Ghayn ( غ ) are considered two of the most difficult Arabic sounds for new students to master.
You really have to train yourself to learn how to pronounce Ayn. It is a guttural a sound produced from the back of the throat.
To avoid confusion between Alif and Ayn, in many sources you will find the letter Ayn represented by the number 3.
Basic Sample words of Ayn in different states
Ayn is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
عَروس arous- bride
نَعجة naajah- ewe
نِعناع neanaa-mint
Look-a-likes
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) are shape-mates.
The connected forms of Ayn ( ـع ) ( ـعـ ) and Ghayn ( ـغ ) ( ـغـ ) might look a bit similar to the connected forms of Hha ( ـح ) ( ـحـ ) and Kha ( ـخ ) ( ـخـ ) in some fonts.
Mnemonic
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) look like a reversed number 3.
Ghayn
The Arabic letter Ghayn is a Moon Letter.
It follows the same basic shape of Ayn but with a dot on top.
How the Arabic letter Ghayn is pronounced
Like Ayn ( ع ) you really have to train yourself to learn how to pronounce Ghayn. It is a gargling sound produced from the back of the throat.
The sound is similar to the r sound found in French.
Because of this “alien” sound, in many sources you will find the letter Ghayn represented by 3’.
Basic Sample words of Ghayn in different states
Ghayn is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
غَزال ghazal-gazelle
الغروب alghoroub- sunset
صمغ samgh-glue
Ghayn with a fatha: ( غَـ ) ( ـغَـ ).
A lot of new students pronounce it with a soft sound close to Ga in “Gap” but it is supposed to be pronounced with a gruff sound close to “Gun” or “Burger”.
Ghayn with a kasra: ( غِـ ) ( ـغِـ ) sounds close to Give or Forget.
Ghayn with a damma: ( غُـ ) ( ـغُـ ) sounds close to Goal or Dragon.
Ghayn with sokoon: ( ـغْـ ) ( ـغْ ) gh
Look-a-likes
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) are shape-mates.
The connected forms of Ayn ( ـع ) ( ـعـ ) and Ghayn ( ـغ ) ( ـغـ ) might look a bit similar to the connected forms of Hha( ـح ) ( ـحـ ) and Kha ( ـخ ) ( ـخـ ) in some fonts.
Mnemonic
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) look like a reversed number 3.
It follows the same basic shape of Ayn but with a dot on top.
How the Arabic letter Ghayn is pronounced
Like Ayn ( ع ) you really have to train yourself to learn how to pronounce Ghayn. It is a gargling sound produced from the back of the throat.
The sound is similar to the r sound found in French.
Because of this “alien” sound, in many sources you will find the letter Ghayn represented by 3’.
Basic Sample words of Ghayn in different states
Ghayn is connectable to both sides. It takes these three forms depending on its position in the word:
غَزال ghazal-gazelle
الغروب alghoroub- sunset
صمغ samgh-glue
Ghayn with a fatha: ( غَـ ) ( ـغَـ ).
A lot of new students pronounce it with a soft sound close to Ga in “Gap” but it is supposed to be pronounced with a gruff sound close to “Gun” or “Burger”.
Ghayn with a kasra: ( غِـ ) ( ـغِـ ) sounds close to Give or Forget.
Ghayn with a damma: ( غُـ ) ( ـغُـ ) sounds close to Goal or Dragon.
Ghayn with sokoon: ( ـغْـ ) ( ـغْ ) gh
Look-a-likes
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) are shape-mates.
The connected forms of Ayn ( ـع ) ( ـعـ ) and Ghayn ( ـغ ) ( ـغـ ) might look a bit similar to the connected forms of Hha( ـح ) ( ـحـ ) and Kha ( ـخ ) ( ـخـ ) in some fonts.
Mnemonic
Ayn ( ع ) and Ghayn ( غ ) look like a reversed number 3.
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