Arabic Alphabet Pronunciation Guide116

The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters. Each letter has a unique name and sound. The letters are written from right to left, and they are connected to each other in a cursive style.

The following table shows the Arabic alphabet letters, their names, and their pronunciation:| Letter | Name | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| ا | alif | /a/ or /ɑ:/ (long) |
| ب | baa' | /b/ |
| ت | taa' | /t/ or /tʰ/ (aspirated) |
| ث | thaa' | /θ/ |
| ج | jiim | /dʒ/ |
| ح | ḥaa' | /ħ/ |
| خ | khaa' | /x/ |
| د | daal | /d/ |
| ذ | dhaal | /ð/ or /z/ (in some dialects) |
| ر | raa' | /r/ |
| ز | zaay | /z/ |
| س | siin | /s/ or /s̺/ (emphatic) |
| ش | sheen | /ʃ/ |
| ص | saad | /sˤ/ (emphatic) |
| ض | daad | /dˤ/ (emphatic) |
| ط | taa' | /tˤ/ (emphatic) |
| ظ | zhaa' | /ðˤ/ or /zˤ/ (emphatic) |
| ع | ʿayn | /ʕ/ |
| غ | ghain | /ɣ/ |
| ف | faa' | /f/ |
| ق | qaaf | /q/ |
| ك | kaaf | /k/ or /kʰ/ (aspirated) |
| ل | laam | /l/ |
| م | miim | /m/ |
| ن | nuun | /n/ |
| ه | haa' | /h/ |
| و | waa'w | /w/ or /u/ (in some dialects) |
| ي | yaa' | /j/ or /i/ (in some dialects) |

In addition to the 28 basic letters, the Arabic alphabet also has some additional symbols, such as the hamza (ء) and the taa' marbuuṭa (ة). These symbols are used to indicate certain sounds or grammatical features.

The pronunciation of Arabic letters can vary depending on the dialect. For example, the letter ق (qaaf) is pronounced as /g/ in Egyptian Arabic, but as /q/ in Modern Standard Arabic.

It is important to note that the Arabic alphabet is not a perfect representation of the sounds of the language. There are some sounds that are not represented by any letter, and there are some letters that represent multiple sounds. As a result, it is important to listen to native speakers in order to learn the correct pronunciation of Arabic words.

2024-11-27

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