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The Arabic Alphabet
There are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet, written from right to left in a connected, cursive style. Here's an overview of how it works, plus a tool to transliterate any word you like.
Arabic Alphabet Converter
Key Facts About the Arabic Alphabet
A quick overview of the Arabic alphabet's main characteristics.
28 Letters
Three of them (ا, و, ي) also serve as long vowels.Right to Left
Though embedded numerals still read left to right.Cursive by Nature
Most letters connect to their neighbors, changing shape by position.No Capital Letters
Arabic has a single case, unlike Latin scripts.Short Vowels Often Omitted
Shown only via optional diacritics (tashkeel) when present.The 28 Arabic Alphabet Letters
Every Arabic letter, its name, and its Latin transliteration and sound.
| Letter | Name | Transliteration | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | alif | a | primarily a long "a", though it can also be silent or act as a seat for hamza | اسم (ism, "name") |
| ب | ba | b | b as in "book" | باب (bab, "door") |
| ت | ta | t | t as in "top" | تمر (tamr, "dates") |
| ث | tha | th | th as in "think" | ثعلب (thalab, "fox") |
| ج | jim | j | j as in "jam" (varies by dialect) | جميل (jameel, "beautiful") |
| ح | ha | h (throat) | no exact English equivalent | حار (haar, "hot") |
| خ | kha | kh | Scottish "loch" / German "Bach" | خبز (khubz, "bread") |
| د | dal | d | d as in "dog" | دار (dar, "house") |
| ذ | dhal | dh | th as in "this" | ذهب (dhahab, "gold") |
| ر | ra | r | rolled/tapped, like Spanish "r" | رجل (rajul, "man") |
| ز | zay | z | z as in "zoo" | زيت (zayt, "oil") |
| س | sin | s | s as in "sun" | سمك (samak, "fish") |
| ش | shin | sh | sh as in "shoe" | شمس (shams, "sun") |
| ص | sad | s (emphatic) | heavier, more constricted "s" | صديق (sadeeq, "friend") |
| ض | dad | d (emphatic) | heavier, more constricted "d" | ضوء (daw', "light") |
| ط | ta (emphatic) | t (emphatic) | heavier, more constricted "t" | طريق (tareeq, "road") |
| ظ | za (emphatic) | z (emphatic) | heavier, more constricted "th"/"z" | ظل (dhill, "shadow") |
| ع | ayn | 3 / ' | no exact English equivalent | عين (ayn, "eye") |
| غ | ghayn | gh | close to a French guttural "r" | غريب (ghareeb, "strange") |
| ف | fa | f | f as in "fun" | فيل (feel, "elephant") |
| ق | qaf | q | guttural "k", further back in the throat | قمر (qamar, "moon") |
| ك | kaf | k | k as in "kite" | كتاب (kitab, "book") |
| ل | lam | l | l as in "lamp" | لون (lawn, "color") |
| م | mim | m | m as in "moon" | ماء (maa, "water") |
| ن | nun | n | n as in "noon" | نور (noor, "light") |
| ه | ha | h | h as in "house" | هدية (hadiya, "gift") |
| و | waw | w / u | w as in "wow", or long "oo" | ورد (ward, "roses") |
| ي | ya | y / i | y as in "yes", or long "ee" | يد (yad, "hand") |
Why Do Arabic Letters Look Different?
Arabic is written as connected, cursive script, so a letter isn't a single fixed shape — it changes depending on where it falls in a word: isolated, initial, medial, or final. Six letters (ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, و) only ever connect to the letter before them, never the one after. This isn't 28 × 4 different letters to memorize — it's the same 28 letters taking contextual shapes. See our Arabic Letters guide for the complete forms table.
Sun and Moon Letters in Arabic
The 28 letters also split into 14 "sun letters" and 14 "moon letters" — a classification that changes how the definite article ال ("the") is pronounced, never how it's spelled. With sun letters, the ل assimilates (الشمس → ash-shams); with moon letters, it's pronounced normally (القمر → al-qamar). See the full lists on our Arabic Letters page.
Arabic Alphabet Pronunciation
Most Arabic letters have a reasonably close English sound, but several have no direct equivalent: ع (voiced throat sound), ح (sharp, breathy "h"), خ (Scottish "loch"), ق (guttural "k"), and the emphatic ص، ض، ط، ظ. For a full breakdown, see our Pronunciation Guide.
Arabic Alphabet for Beginners
If you're starting from scratch, this order tends to work well: learn the 28 letters and names, then their sounds, then how letters connect, then short vowels/diacritics (tashkeel) — and only then start reading simple words. Ready to practice? Explore the Arabic Letters guide to see how each letter changes in isolated, initial, medial and final positions.
Arabic Alphabet vs English Alphabet
Arabic and English scripts differ in more than just their letters:
| Feature | Arabic | English |
|---|---|---|
| Number of letters | 28 | 26 |
| Direction | Right to left | Left to right |
| Letter case | No uppercase/lowercase | Uppercase/lowercase |
| Writing style | Connected, cursive | Usually separated |
| Letter forms | Contextual (isolated/initial/medial/final) | Mostly fixed |
| Short vowels | Often omitted in writing | Usually written |