I. Introduction to the Arabic Script

The Arabic script is a unique and beautiful writing system used to represent the Arabic language. Here are the fundamental characteristics you need to know:

• Direction: Arabic is written and read from right to left.
• Cursive Nature: Almost all letters within an Arabic word are joined together, similar to English handwriting.
• Alphabet Type: The Arabic alphabet is essentially a consonantal alphabet. All 28 (or 29) primary letters are consonants.
• Case: There is no distinction between capital and small letters.
• Vowels: Vowels are not letters themselves; they are represented by separate marks placed above or below the consonants.

II. The Arabic Letters

The alphabet consists of 28 letters. Each has a unique name and a corresponding sound. Below is a selection of the letters with their approximate English equivalents:

Letter	Name	Sound/Equivalent
ا	Alif	A glottal stop or a vowel stretcher.
ب	Bā’	Like the English ‘b’ in “book”.
ت	Tā’	Like the English ‘t’, but softer.
ث	Thā’	Like ‘th’ in “think”.
ج	Jīm	Like the English ‘j’ in “jar” or ‘g’ in “gel”.
ح	Ḥā’	A strong, throaty ‘h’ sound.
خ	Khā’	A guttural sound like ‘ch’ in the Scottish “loch”.
د	Dāl	Like the English ‘d’.
ر	Rā’	A rolled ‘r’ sound, similar to Spanish.
س	Sīn	Like the English ‘s’.
ش	Shīn	Like the English ‘sh’ in “ship”.
ق	Qāf	A deep, guttural ‘k’ produced at the back of the throat.
ي	Yā’	Like the English ‘y’.

Pronunciation Note: Arabic contains several emphatic letters (like Ṣād ص, Ḍād ض, Ṭā’ ط, and Ẓā’ ظ) which require a thicker, deeper pronunciation than their plain counterparts.

III. The Vowel System

Arabic uses two types of vowels: short and long.

1. Short Vowels (Ḥarakāt)

These are small symbols placed on top of or underneath letters:

• Fatḥah ( َـ ): A short ‘a’ sound, as in “cat”.
• Kasrah ( ِـ ): A short ‘i’ sound, as in “sit”.
• Ḍammah ( ُـ ): A short ‘u’ sound, as in “put”.

2. Long Vowels

Three consonants (Alif, Wāw, and Yā’) act as long vowels when they follow a consonant with a corresponding short vowel:

• Alif (ـا): Stretches the Fatḥah to a long “ā” (as in “father”).
• Wāw (ـو): Stretches the Ḍammah to a long “ū” (as in “soon”).
• Yā’ (ـي): Stretches the Kasrah to a long “ī” (as in “see”).

IV. Conventional Signs and Diacritics

• Sukūn ( ْـ ): Indicates that the consonant has no vowel following it.
• Shadda ( ّـ ): Placed over a letter to show it is doubled or geminated.
• Nunation (Tanwīn): Doubling a short vowel at the end of a word (e.g., ـٌ) adds an “n” sound (-un, -an, -in) to the vowel.
• Hamza (ء): Represents a glottal stop, like the sound between the vowels in “uh-oh”. It can be written alone or on a “bearer” letter like Alif, Wāw, or Yā’.
• Madda (آ): Used over an Alif to indicate a glottal stop followed by a long ‘a’.

V. Writing and Connecting Letters

Arabic letters change their shape depending on their position in a word. There are up to four forms for each letter:

1. Independent: When the letter stands alone.
2. Initial: At the beginning of a word.
3. Medial: In the middle, connected on both sides.
4. Final: At the end of a word.

Important Rule: Most letters connect on both sides. However, there are six letters that never connect to the letter following them: Alif (ا), Dāl (د), Dhāl (ذ), Rā’ (ر), Zāy (ز), and Wāw (و). There will always be a small gap after these letters.