Arabic Learning Exe 2 How to read

Understand the Arabic Alphabet

The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters, all of which are consonants. This might be a new concept
if you’re coming from a language like English where letters can represent both vowels and
consonants.

It's essential to familiarize yourself with each letter, its shape, and the sound it represents. Keep in
mind that Arabic is written and read from right to left, which might take some time to get used to.
For a review of the Arabic alphabets, please refer to the prior class.

Letter Forms Based on Position

Arabic letters change shape based on their position in a word. For example:

‫‘ – أ‬Alif:

 Standalone/Initial/Medial/Final: ‫أ‬

 Example: ‫( أم‬Mother)

‫ – ب‬Ba:

 Standalone: ‫ب‬

 Initial: ‫بـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـبـ‬

 Final: ‫ـب‬

 Example: ‫( باب‬Door)

‫ – ت‬Ta:
  Standalone: ‫ت‬

 Initial: ‫تـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـتـ‬

 Final: ‫ـت‬

 Example: ‫( تمر‬Date fruit)

‫ – ث‬Tha:

 Standalone: ‫ث‬

 Initial: ‫ثـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـثـ‬

 Final: ‫ـث‬

 Example: ‫( ثعلب‬Fox)

‫ – ج‬Jim:

 Standalone: ‫ج‬

 Initial: ‫جـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـجـ‬

 Final: ‫ـج‬

 Example: ‫( جمل‬Camel)

‫ – ح‬Ha:

 Standalone: ‫ح‬

 Initial: ‫حـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـحـ‬

 Final: ‫ـح‬

 Example: ‫( حمام‬Bathroom)
‫ – خ‬Kha:

 Standalone: ‫خ‬

 Initial: ‫خـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـخـ‬

 Final: ‫ـخ‬

 Example: ‫( خبز‬Bread)

‫ – د‬Dal:

 Standalone/Initial/Medial/Final: ‫د‬

 Example: ‫( دب‬Bear)

‫ – ذ‬Dhal:

 Standalone/Initial/Medial/Final: ‫ذ‬

 Example: ‫( ذهب‬Gold)

‫ – ر‬Ra:

 Standalone/Initial/Medial/Final: ‫ر‬

 Example: ‫( رجل‬Man)

‫ – ز‬Zay:

 Standalone/Initial/Medial/Final: ‫ز‬

 Example: ‫( زرافة‬Giraffe)
‫ – س‬Seen:

 Standalone: ‫س‬

 Initial: ‫سـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـسـ‬

 Final: ‫ـس‬

 Example: ‫( سمك‬Fish)

‫ – ش‬Sheen:

 Standalone: ‫ش‬

 Initial: ‫شـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـشـ‬

 Final: ‫ـش‬

 Example: ‫( شمس‬Sun)

‫ – ص‬Sad:

 Standalone: ‫ص‬

 Initial: ‫صـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـصـ‬

 Final: ‫ـص‬

 Example: ‫( صابون‬Soap)

‫ – ض‬Dad:

 Standalone: ‫ض‬

 Initial: ‫ضـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـضـ‬

 Final: ‫ـض‬
  Example: ‫( ضفدع‬Frog)

‫ – ط‬Ta:

 Standalone: ‫ط‬

 Initial: ‫طـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـطـ‬

 Final: ‫ـط‬

 Example: ‫( طائرة‬Airplane)

‫ – ظ‬Za:

 Standalone: ‫ظ‬

 Initial: ‫ظـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـظـ‬

 Final: ‫ـظ‬

 Example: ‫( ظرف‬Envelope)

‫‘ – ع‬Ain:

 Standalone: ‫ع‬

 Initial: ‫عـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـعـ‬

 Final: ‫ـع‬

 Example: ‫( عصفور‬Bird)

‫ – غ‬Ghain:

 Standalone: ‫غ‬
  Initial: ‫غـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـغـ‬

 Final: ‫ـغ‬

 Example: ‫( غابة‬Forest)

‫ – ف‬Fa:

 Standalone: ‫ف‬

 Initial: ‫فـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـفـ‬

 Final: ‫ـف‬

 Example: ‫( فراشة‬Butterfly)

‫ – ق‬Qaaf:

 Standalone: ‫ق‬

 Initial: ‫قـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـقـ‬

 Final: ‫ـق‬

 Example: ‫( قط‬Cat)

‫ – ك‬Kaaf:

 Standalone: ‫ك‬

 Initial: ‫كـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـكـ‬

 Final: ‫ـك‬

 Example: ‫( كلب‬Dog)
‫ – ل‬Lam:

 Standalone: ‫ل‬

 Initial: ‫لـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـلـ‬

 Final: ‫ـل‬

 Example: ‫( ليمون‬Lemon)

‫ – م‬Meem:

 Standalone: ‫م‬

 Initial: ‫مـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـمـ‬

 Final: ‫ـم‬

 Example: ‫( موز‬Banana)

‫ – ن‬Noon:

 Standalone: ‫ن‬

 Initial: ‫نـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـنـ‬

 Final: ‫ـن‬

 Example: ‫( نمر‬Tiger)

‫ – ه‬Haa:

 Standalone: ‫ه‬

 Initial: ‫هـ‬
  Medial: ‫ـهـ‬

 Final: ‫ـه‬

 Example: ‫( هرم‬Pyramid)

‫ – و‬Waw:

 Standalone/Initial/Medial/Final: ‫و‬

 Example: ‫( ورد‬Flower)

‫ – ي‬Ya:

 Standalone: ‫ي‬

 Initial: ‫يـ‬

 Medial: ‫ـيـ‬

 Final: ‫ـي‬

 Example: ‫( يد‬Hand)

Remember, understanding the different forms of the Arabic letters is an essential step in learning
how to read and write in Arabic. It may seem complicated at first, but with practice, it will become
second nature. Be patient with yourself and happy learning!

A Gentle Reminder

Please understand that it's completely fine if you don't grasp everything immediately. This is just the
beginning, and you can always revisit this class whenever needed. This session serves as an
introduction, and rest assured, each topic will be thoroughly explained in the app, tailored for
beginners, and accompanied by audio guidance.
Joining Letters to Form Words

Arabic script is cursive, so you’ll need to learn how to join letters to form words. For example, if you
want to write the word “‫( ”بيت‬bayt, meaning house), you join “‫( ”ب‬ba) + “‫( ”ي‬ya) + “‫( ”ت‬ta) together
to form “‫”بيت‬.

Learning to read Arabic may initially seem challenging, but it’s an immensely rewarding journey.
With time, patience, and regular practice, you’ll soon find yourself comfortably reading and
understanding this beautiful language. Enjoy the process!

Learning Short Vowels and Diacritics

In Arabic, short vowels and other sounds are represented by diacritical marks placed above or below
the letters. They are essential for correct pronunciation and meaning, but are often omitted in
everyday writing. Here are the three short vowels, known as “Harakat,” and some other important
diacritics:

Fatha ( ‫) َـ‬:

 It is a diagonal stroke placed above a letter and represents a short “a” sound, similar to the
“a” in “apple”.

 For example, in the word ‫( َبَت‬bata), both “‫( ”ب‬ba) and “‫( ”ت‬ta) have a fatha.

Kasra ( ‫) ِـ‬:

 It is a diagonal stroke placed below a letter and represents a short “i” sound, similar to the
“i” in “it”

 For example, in the word ‫( ِبِت‬biti), both “‫( ”ب‬ba) and “‫( ”ت‬ta) have a kasra.
Damma ( ‫) ُـ‬:

 It is a tiny curl-like diacritic placed above a letter and represents a short “u” sound, similar to
the “oo” in “look”.

 For example, in the word ‫( ُبُت‬butu), both “‫( ”ب‬ba) and “‫( ”ت‬ta) have a damma.

Sukun ( ‫) ْـ‬:

 A circle-like mark written above a letter, indicating the absence of a vowel.

 For example, in the word ‫( ْبت‬bt), both “‫( ”ب‬ba) and “‫( ”ت‬ta) have a sukun.

Shadda ( ‫) ّـ‬:

 It is written as a small “w” shape above a letter and indicates a doubled or stressed
consonant.

 For example, in the word ‫( ُم ّد‬mudd), the “‫( ”د‬dal) has a shadda, indicating it should be
stressed or doubled in pronunciation.

Tanween (nunation)

Tanween (nunation) in Arabic language is a diacritic that indicates indefiniteness of a noun. It can be
considered as the equivalent of the English indefinite articles “a” and “an”. Tanween is represented
by doubling of the short vowel diacritics (Fatha, Damma, and Kasra), and it only appears at the end
of a word. There are three types of Tanween:

Tanween al-Fath:

 The double Fatha is placed above a letter and it adds an “-an” sound at the end of the word.

 For example, ‫( ِكتاًبا‬kitaaban) meaning “a book”.

 The double Kasra is placed below a letter and it adds an “-in” sound at the end of the word.

 For example, ‫( ِبْنٍت‬bintin) meaning “a girl”.

Tanween al-Damm:

 The double Damma is placed above a letter and it adds an “-un” sound at the end of the
word.

 For example, ‫( َر ُجٌل‬rajulun) meaning “a man”.

Please note that while these diacritics are vital for correct pronunciation, they are often omitted in a
lot of written Arabic, especially in informal contexts and in printed materials. The correct
pronunciation and understanding then relies on the reader’s knowledge and understanding of the
language and its context.

Stay Motivated

Embarking on the path to learning Arabic as a beginner may seem daunting at first. But remember,
every expert was once a beginner. It's completely natural if things aren't crystal clear at this stage.
The initial steps are often filled with uncertainties, but as you persist and continue using the app, the
pieces will gradually fall into place.

Conclusion:

This is merely an introductory class, and more comprehensive explanations tailored for beginners
await you in the app's subsequent lessons. Stay curious, remain committed, and trust the process.
Your dedication will soon transform confusion into clarity.