Arabic Letter Chart

Arabic is written from right to left in a flowing script where most letters join to their neighbours and change shape depending on their position in a word. This printable pack sets out all 28 letters with their four forms — isolated, initial, medial and final — plus names and sounds, so learners can recognise letters wherever they appear.

The Arabic alphabet with letter forms

Read the forms from right to left, as Arabic is written. Transliteration follows a common academic style; dots under letters mark sounds that don’t exist in English, such as ḥ (a breathy h from the throat) and ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, ẓ (heavier “emphatic” consonants).

Letters that don’t join forwards

Six letters — alif ا, dāl د, dhāl ذ, rāʼ ر, zāy ز and wāw و — join to the letter before them but never to the letter after. That means the next letter in the word starts again with an initial or isolated form. Learning these six early makes reading much easier, because they explain the small gaps you see inside words.

Letter families

Many letters share a basic shape and differ only in their dots — learning them as families halves the work.

How to practise

1. Learn the isolated forms and names first.
2. Trace each letter on the tracing sheets, following the stroke direction from right to left.
3. Practise the four forms of one letter family at a time.
4. Read short joined words, noticing where non-joining letters break the word.
5. Use the flashcards daily for a few minutes.

Short vowels and other marks

Arabic letters are consonants and long vowels. Short vowels are shown by small marks above or below letters — fatḥa (a), kasra (i) and ḍamma (u) — along with sukūn (no vowel) and shadda (a doubled consonant). These marks are used in the Qurʼan, children’s books and learning materials, but usually omitted in newspapers and everyday writing.

What’s in the pack

• Alphabet chart with all four forms (PDF poster).
• Letter tracing sheets for all 28 letters.
• Flashcards with the letter, name and sound.
• Non-joining letters and letter families reference.
• Vowel marks chart.

Formats and printing

All pages print on US Letter or A4. The tracing sheets work well in sheet protectors with a dry-wipe pen for repeated practice.

AI-assisted content

Charts were compiled with AI assistance and reviewed by Kedop against standard Modern Standard Arabic references. Pronunciation varies across dialects.