Name: Ta Marbuta Pronunciation: Pronounced like "ah" or the French "é" depending on dialect. This letter only appears at the end of words to make them feminine. IPA Script: aː Arabizi Transliteration: ah, a, or é Example: مدرسة (madrasa) - school
The Arabic alphabet, or Abjad, has about 30 basic letters. Most letters are consonants (like n, k, b), and a few are long vowels (aa, ee, uu). Short vowels are usually unwritten, except in special cases like children's books or religious texts. We'll come back to short vowels a bit later.
Arabic is written from right to left. That may feel unusual at first, but your brain adapts quickly! You'll be surprised how natural it becomes.
The script is also written in a connected, cursive style. Each letter changes shape depending on where it appears in a word. Letters have four forms:
Isolated – standing alone, unconnected
Initial – at the beginning of a word
Medial – in the middle of a word
Final – at the end of a word
For now, pay attention to the sounds each letter makes and how their shapes shift depending on position. Don't worry about memorizing everything right away - that will come with practice. We've added a font menu so you can see the letters in different scripts, which helps you notice both the changes and the consistencies. Good luck!