If you've never seen the Arabic alphabet before, you might want to check out my article A First Look at the Arabic Alphabet
Arabic letters have several forms, most of which have to do with their position in a word (these are called the initial, medial, and final forms). Because of the way Arabic script is handled on computers, the only letter forms that can be reliably shown by themselves (rather than within words) are the standalone forms. The first 15 letters of the alphabet are shown in the chart below.
| Sound | Name | Arabic Letter |
|---|---|---|
| usually a, but can also have an i or u sound | alif | |
| b as in boy | baa | |
| t as in bet | taa | |
| th as in Beth | thaa | |
| j as in Julie | jaa | |
| German hard H as in Bach | Haa | |
| kh, similar to Í with a k sound | khaa | |
| d as in dog | daal | |
| strong th as in 5TH | thaal or dhal | |
| r as in barn | raa | |
| z as in daze | zaa | |
| s as in seen | seen | |
| sh as in show | sheen |
When looking at this chart, keep in mind that there are multiple transcriptions for the names of Arabic letters – I used versions that I though would be easiest to decode for English speakers, these should allow you to name the letters and be understood, but they are not the most accurate transcriptions. (The most accurate transcriptions are IPA and one invented by young Arabs to be able to send email and text messages in Arabic across systems such as mobile phones that don't support Arabic, but you actually have to learn these transcription systems like an alphabet.)
- Teach Yourself Beginner's Arabic Script by John Mace.
