The Arabic alphabet
consists of 28 letters and all are consonants; vowels in Arabic are
something different and they do not form part of the alphabet like in
English.
However, three of the consonants are used together with the (short) vowels to form what are called long vowels.
However, three of the consonants are used together with the (short) vowels to form what are called long vowels.
Direction & shape
The Arabic script is written and read from right to left, and letters
forming one word are joined together in a cursive writing style, taking
different shapes depending on its position in a word.
For the 28 letters there is a total of only 18 shapes, as 8 shapes are
shared by more than one letter (18 letters are represented by 8
different shapes). In such cases, the difference between letters is
indicated by the number and position of dot(s). For example, ب ت ث have
the same shape but differ in the number of dots above/below them.
English equivalents
Not all Arabic letters have their equivalents in English. Among those
Arabic sounds with no equivalent in English, some can be represented by a
combination of two English letters, while others can be represented by
how certain sounds are pronounced in other languages; but still there
are others that the learner should absolutely hear from someone who
knows how to pronounce it correctly (or from audio files). The beginner
is advised to master this from the very beginning.
Nor do all English letters have their equivalents in Arabic. Such
letters are either represented by letters with somewhat similar
pronunciation, or Arabic letters with the nearest pronunciation are
modified, usually by adding some dots.
Letters and sounds
No two letters in Arabic can have the same sound; there must be some
difference, however subtle. Compare this with the English "John
Gerrard".
No Arabic letter represents two different sounds: compare this to the
English "God and gender". However, the same Arabic letter can have very
subtle differences in pronunciation when carrying different vowels. This
might escape the beginner at first, but with practice ...
The letters of the Arabic alphabet are listed below, with the English
equivalent next to each. Where there is a noun, the sound is represented
by the letters in bold. The names of the letters are not provided here
on purpose, they will be in another lesson, in Arabic.
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The First letter
The first letter أ is a combination of ء over ا. Each component can be a
letter on its own. The letter can be part of a long vowel, as well as a
support for ء. The ء sometimes needs support, and other times is strong
enough to stand on its own without any supportting letter.
Also the ء above the ا is sometimes places below the ا; this is due to a different vowelling.
Notes:
1. depending upon the vowel it carries, this letter may be equivalent to a, i or u as in apple, imagine or Uzbek respectively.
Note that the U in Uzbek can be pronounced like the "u" in "put" and like that of "run", but here I mean the 1st one only.
2. needs direct hearing
3. this is roughly equivalent to the ch in Scottish "loch", usually transliterated by "kh"
4. this is a combination of th + w, the "th" being like that of "this"
5. needs direct hearing
6. this is somewhat like the french "r", usually transliterated by "gh"
7. this is somewhat like the french "cr", usually transliterated by "q"
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