An Introduction to the Arabic Language Alphabets A Beginners
Guide
Slide 3
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elevated letters Click on each letter to view profile Click on each
letter to view profile
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First letter: Alif hamzah Name of letter: Alif Pronunciation:
aa Equivalent to a long a in English. Hamzah is not a letter of the
alphabet but a sign indicating a sound known in English as a
glottal stop. Alif is a non-connecter meaning, it can be connected
to the letter preceding it, but not the letter following it.
Connective Form (of a non-connector) Stand Alone Form End of word
Middle of word Beginning of word
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Second letter: Baa Name of letter: Baa Pronunciation: b
Equivalent to the consonant b in English. Baa is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone
Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Third letter: Taa Name of letter: Taa Pronunciation: t
Equivalent to the consonant t in English. In writing it acts like
its sister letter baa, so its written exactly the same way except
that it has two dots above it. Connective Form (of a connector)
Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Forth letter: Thaa Name of letter: Thaa Pronunciation: th
Pronounced like the th in the English word three. In writing it
acts like its sister letter baa, so its written exactly the same
way except that it has three dots above it. Connective Form (of a
connector) Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of
word
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Fifth letter: Geem Name of letter: Geem Pronunciation: j Should
be pronounced like the English j. Geem is a connecter meaning, it
can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the letter
following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone Form End
of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Sixth letter: Haa Name of letter: Haa Pronunciation: h
Pronounced like the English h, as pure but much heavier and deeper.
In writing it acts like its sister letter geem, so its written
exactly the same way except that it has no dots. Connective Form
(of a connector) Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word
Beginning of word
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Seventh letter: Kh Seventh letter: Kh Name of letter: Kh
Pronunciation: kh Should be pronounced like a clearing sound in the
throat ch, also similar to the Germen ch. In writing it acts like
its sister letter geem, so its written exactly the same way except
that it has one dot above it. Connective Form (of a connector)
Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Eighth letter: Daal Name of letter: Daal Pronunciation: d
Equivalent to the consonant d in English. Daal is a non-connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, but not
the letter following it. Connective Form (of a non-connector) Stand
Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Ninth letter: Thaal Name of letter: Thaal Pronunciation: th
Pronounced like the th in the English word the. In writing it acts
like its sister letter daal, so its written exactly the same way
except that it has one dot above it. Thaal is a non-connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, but not
the letter following it. Connective Form (of a non-connector) Stand
Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Tenth letter: R Tenth letter: R Name of letter: R
Pronunciation: r Equivalent to the consonant r in English. Raa is a
non-connecter meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding
it, but not the letter following it. Connective Form (of a
non-connector) Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word
Beginning of word
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Eleventh letter: Zain Name of letter: Zain Pronunciation: z
Equivalent to the consonant z in English. In writing it acts like
its sister letter raa, so its written exactly the same way except
that it has one dot above it. Zain is a non-connecter meaning, it
can be connected to the letter preceding it, but not the letter
following it. Connective Form (of a non-connector) Stand Alone Form
End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twelfth letter: Seen Name of letter: Seen Pronunciation: s
Equivalent to the consonant s in English. Seen is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone
Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Thirteenth letter: Sheen Name of letter: Sheen Pronunciation:
sh Pronounced like the English sh In writing it acts like its
sister letter seen, so its written exactly the same way except that
it has three dots above it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand
Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Fourteenth letter: Sd Fourteenth letter: Sd Name of letter: S d
Pronunciation: s Pronounced like the English s , but much heavier
sounds like the s in sauce . Saad is a connecter meaning, it can be
connected to the letter preceding it, and the letter following it.
Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone Form End of word
Middle of word Beginning of word
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Fifteenth letter: Dhd Fifteenth letter: Dhd Name of letter: Dh
d Pronunciation: dh Should be pronounced as a heavy dh . In writing
it acts like its sister letter saad , so its written exactly the
same way except that it has one dot above it. Connective Form (of a
connector) Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of
word
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Sixteenth letter: T Sixteenth letter: T Name of letter: T
Pronunciation: t Pronounced like the English t, but much heavier.
Taa is a connecter meaning, it can be connected to the letter
preceding it, and the letter following it. Connective Form (of a
connector) Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of
word
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Seventeenth letter: Dh Seventeenth letter: Dh Name of letter:
Dh Pronunciation: th Pronounced like the English th as in the word
the, but much heavier. In writing it acts like its sister letter
taa, so its written exactly the same way except that it has one dot
above it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone Form End of
word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Eighteenth letter: Ain Name of letter: Ain Pronunciation: A In
pronouncing this letter the muscles of the throat should be
tightened causing the passage to become constricted and resulting
in a squeezed sound. Ain is a connecter meaning, it can be
connected to the letter preceding it, and the letter following it.
Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone Form End of word
Middle of word Beginning of word
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Ninteenth letter: Ghin Ninteenth letter: Ghin Name of letter:
Ghin Pronunciation: gh This letter is basically a gargling sound.
In writing it acts like its sister letter ain, so its written
exactly the same way except that it has one dot above it.
Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone Form End of word
Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twentieth letter: Faa Name of letter: Faa Pronunciation: f
Equivalent to the consonant f in English. Faa is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Note: In writing, the loop of faa is modified
so that the writing will flow from the preceding extension to the
following letter. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone Form
End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty first letter: Qf Twenty first letter: Qf Name of letter:
Qf Pronunciation: q Equivalent to the consonant q in English only
heavier. The independent form of qaaf is similar to that of Faa
except that the tail is rounded and extends below the line.
Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone Form End of word
Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty second letter: Kaaf Name of letter: kaaf Pronunciation:
k Equivalent to the consonant k in English. Kaaf is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone
Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty third letter: Laam Name of letter: Laam Pronunciation: l
Equivalent to the consonant l in English. Laam is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone
Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty forth letter: Meem Name of letter: Meem Pronunciation: m
Equivalent to the consonant m in English. Meem is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone
Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty fifth letter: Noon Name of letter: Noon Pronunciation: n
Equivalent to the consonant n in English. Noon is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone
Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty sixth letter: Haa Name of letter: Haa Pronunciation: h
Equivalent to the consonant h in English. Haa is a connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, and the
letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand Alone
Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty seventh letter: Waaw Name of letter: Waaw Pronunciation:
oo / w Acts under certain conditions as a long vowel oo, and in the
other cases equivalent to w in why. Waaw is a non-connecter
meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it, but not
the letter following it.. Connective Form (of a non-connector)
Stand Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
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Twenty eighth letter: Yaa Name of letter: Yaa Pronunciation: ee
/ y Acts under certain conditions as a long vowel ee, and in the
other cases equivalent to y in English (as in yet). Yaa is a
connecter meaning, it can be connected to the letter preceding it,
and the letter following it. Connective Form (of a connector) Stand
Alone Form End of word Middle of word Beginning of word
