Arabic Alphabet and their Pronunciation

Learning the Arabic Alphabet and Pronunciation

Arabic Alphabet and their Pronunciation: The Arabic alphabet is the script used to write the Arabic language. With 28 letters, it is the second-most-used alphabet in the world (after the Latin alphabet). Learning the Arabic letters and their pronunciation is essential for reading, writing, and pronouncing words correctly in Arabic. Qiratul Quran will provide an overview of the Arabic alphabet, its letters, shapes, names, and how to pronounce them properly.

Origins and History of the Arabic Alphabet

• The Arabic alphabet evolved from the Nabataean script, itself an offshoot of Aramaic, which was used by the Nabataean people who lived in the southern Levant around the 4th century BCE.
• It developed as a distinct script by the 2nd century CE and was spread through the Arabian Peninsula with the expansion of Islam and Islamic culture from the 7th century onward.
• Today, the Arabic alphabet is used to write Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Kurdish, and various other languages, and it is spoken by over 400 million people around the world.
• The direction of writing in Arabic is from right to left.

Features and Characteristics

The Arabic alphabet has several notable features:

• Consonantal alphabet – It is primarily a consonantal alphabet. Many letters represent consonant sounds with no vowel sound inherent in the letter. Vowels can be added through the use of diacritical marks called harakat.
• cursive script – The letters are all cursive, meaning most letters in a word are connected. Words are written and joined together with no spaces between them.
• Letter forms – Most letters have up to 4 distinct forms based on their position in a word: isolated, initial, medial, and final form.
• No capitalization – There is no concept of capitalization in Arabic letters. Letters retain their shape regardless of placement or usage.

The Letters of the Arabic Alphabet

There are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet. Here is an overview of each letter along with pronunciation tips:

The First Group

The first group of Arabic letters represents consonant sounds from the English “b” through “th” sounds:

• ا – Alif – Pronounced as a glottal stop (akin to a short cough or pause) or silent when at the start of a word. Often used as a long vowel sound (/aː/).
• ب – Baa – Pronounced as a /b/ sound. Put your lips together and make a /b/ sound.
• ت – Taa – Pronounced as a /t/ sound. Place your tongue behind your teeth and make a /t/ sound.
• ث – Thaa – Pronounced as a /th/ sound. Place your tongue between your teeth and exhale to make the /th/ sound as in “three”.

The Second Group

The second group represents consonant sounds from the English “j” through “dh” sounds:

• ج – Jeem – Pronounced as a /j/ sound. Place your tongue just behind your upper teeth and make a /j/ sound.
• ح – Haa – Pronounced as a breathy /h/ sound from the back of your throat.
• خ – Khaa – Pronounced as a /kh/ sound. Pronounce it like the “ch” in the Scottish word “loch” or German “bach”.
• د – Daal – Pronounced as a /d/ sound. Place your tongue behind your teeth and make a /d/ sound.
• ذ – Dhaal – Pronounced as a /dh/ sound. Place your tongue between your teeth and make a breathy /d/ sound.

The Third Group

The third group of letters represents the “r”, “z”, “s”, “sh”, and “s” (emphatic s) sounds:

• ر – Raa – Pronounced as a rolled /r/ sound. Curl the tip of your tongue back and make a rolling /r/ sound.
• ز – Zay – Pronounced as a /z/ sound. Put your teeth together and make a buzzing /z/ sound.
• س – Seen – Pronounced as an /s/ sound. Put your teeth together and make a hissing /s/ sound.
• ش – Sheen – Pronounced as a /sh/ sound. Make a hissing /sh/ sound.
• ص – Saad – Pronounced as an emphatic /s/ sound. A deeper sounding /s/is made at the back of your throat.

The Fourth Group

The fourth group contains consonants representing the “d”, “t”, “dh”, and “z” (emphatic z) sounds:

• ض – Daad – Pronounced as an emphatic /d/ sound. A deeper-sounding/d/is made at the back of your throat.
• ط – Taa – Pronounced as an emphatic /t/ sound. A deeper /t/ sound is made at the back of your throat.
• ظ – Dhaad – Pronounced as an emphatic /dh/ sound. A deeper /dh/ from the throat.
• ع – Ayn – Pronounced as a guttural sound that doesn’t have an equivalent in English. Made by constricting the back of the throat.

The Fifth Group

This group contains the “gh” (two letters), “f” and “q” consonant sounds:

• غ – Ghayn – Pronounced as a /gh/ sound (like the French “R”). Made by vibrating the back of the throat.
• ف – Fa – Pronounced as an /f/ sound. Put your teeth on your bottom lip and make an /f/ sound.
• ق – Qaaf – Pronounced as a /q/ sound. Pronounced from the back of the throat.

The Sixth Group

This group has the final consonants including the “k” and “l” sounds:

• ك – Kaaf – Pronounced as a /k/ sound.
• ل – Laam – Pronounced as an /l/ sound. Curl your tongue back and make an /l/ sound.
• م – Meem – Pronounced as an /m/ sound.
• ن – Noon – Pronounced as an /n/ sound.
• ه – Haa – Pronounced as an /h/ sound.
• و – Waaw – Used as a consonant pronounced as a /w/ sound or as a long vowel /uː/.

Additional Letters

• ي – Yaa – Used as a consonant pronounced as a /y/ sound or as a long vowel /iː/.
• ة – Taa Marbuta – Used at the end of words to indicate a feminine noun. Pronounced as a /t/ sound or silent depending on dialect.
• ا – Hamza – Represents a glottal stop. Often written as an apostrophe ( ‘ ) at the start or middle of a word.
• ى – Alif Maqsura – Sounds just like ي /y/ but used only at the end of words.
• لا‎ – Laam Alif – Represents a /l/ sound followed by a /a/ sound. Found only in the beginning of words.

Vowels in Arabic

While vowels are not inherent to the Arabic alphabet letters themselves, they are indicated through the use of diacritical marks called tashkeel or harakat. There are 3 vowel sounds:

• Fatha – /a/ sound
• Kasra – /i/ sound
• Damma – /u/ sound

There are also some compound vowel marks representing long vowels or diphthongs:

• Fathatan – /aː/ – elongation of Fatha
• Kasratan – /iː/ – elongation of Kasra
• Dammatan – /uː/ – elongation of Damma

Putting Letters Together in Arabic Words

When writing words in Arabic, there are some rules to follow:

• Letters are connected – with a few exceptions.
• Words are written from right to left.
• There are generally no spaces between words.
• Many letters change shape depending on whether they are at the start, middle, or end of a word.
• Diacritical marks indicating vowels and letter doubling are not typically written. Only found in children’s books, the Quran, or for language learners.

Tips for Proper Pronunciation

Mastering the unique sounds of the Arabic alphabet articulation takes practice. Here are some tips:

• Listen and repeat – Imitate audio of native speakers to learn proper pronunciation.
• Emphasize the throat sounds – Many Arabic letters like ع ح خ غ are pronounced from deep in the throat. Feel the vibration.
• Roll your Rs – Get the correct trilled /r/ sound by practicing rolling your Rs.
• Differentiate sounds – Be careful not to substitute one sound for another. ث is not the same as ت.
• Sing Arabic songs – Songs get those sounds in your muscle memory and improve pronunciation.

The Arabic Alphabet – Final Summary

Though it may seem daunting at first, mastering the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet is possible with practice. Each has a distinct sound and shape that sets it apart. Understanding how letters change form within words, how to blend them, and pronounce them correctly will establish a solid foundation for learning Arabic. With the right tools and this guide’s overview of Arabic’s writing system, you’ll be reading and speaking Arabic naturally.