The Arabic Alphabet Pronunciation Chart: A Comprehensive Guide14

The Arabic alphabet is a beautiful and complex writing system that is used to write Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and many other languages. It is a consonantal alphabet, meaning that it only represents consonants, and vowels are indicated by diacritics. The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, and each letter has a unique shape and pronunciation.

The following chart provides a pronunciation guide for the Arabic alphabet. The chart is organized by the shape of the letters, and the letters are listed in alphabetical order. Each letter is represented by its Arabic symbol, its English transliteration, and its pronunciation.

Chart

Arabic Symbol

English Transliteration

Pronunciation


ا

ا

a


ب

b

b


ت

t

t


ث

th

th (as in "thin")


ج

j

j


ح

ḥ

ḥ (a voiceless pharyngeal fricative)


خ

kh

kh (as in "loch")


د

d

d


ذ

dh

dh (as in "the")


ر

r

r


ز

z

z


س

s

s


ش

sh

sh (as in "ship")


ص

ṣ

ṣ (a voiceless emphatic alveolar sibilant)


ض

ḍ

ḍ (a voiced emphatic alveolar sibilant)


ط

ṭ

ṭ (a voiceless emphatic alveolar stop)


ظ

ẓ

ẓ (a voiced emphatic alveolar stop)


ع

ʿ

ʿ (a glottal stop)


غ

gh

gh (as in "ghost")


ف

f

f


ق

q

q (as in "queen")


ك

k

k


ل

l

l


م

m

m


ن

n

n


ه

h

h


و

w

w


ي

y

y

In addition to the letters shown in the chart, there are also a number of diacritics that can be used to indicate vowels and other sounds. The most common diacritics are the fatḥah, the kasrah, and the ḍammah. The fatḥah indicates a short "a" sound, the kasrah indicates a short "i" sound, and the ḍammah indicates a short "u" sound. These diacritics are placed above the letter that they modify.

The Arabic alphabet is a complex and beautiful writing system that is used to write a variety of languages. By understanding the pronunciation of the letters and the diacritics, you can learn to read and write Arabic with confidence.

2025-01-20

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