Before you start reading
Twenty-eight letters. Each one changes shape depending on where it sits in a word, which is why the same letter can look like three different things on the same line. This page takes them in five small stages: the letters that break a word apart, the family that only differs by dots, the sounds English does not have, the light and heavy pairs, and the rest. By the end you will be able to look at a line of the Qur'an and name what you see.
Every example here is a real word from a short sūrah, so you meet each shape in the text itself rather than in made-up practice words. Nothing is locked, and your place is remembered on this device — 0 of 5 stages marked done.
Stage 1 of 5
After this you can: Spot the letters that break a word into separate pieces.
Start here, because these six explain something that confuses every beginner. Arabic words are joined up, like English handwriting — but these six letters refuse to join to the letter after them. So a word can look like two or three separate lumps and still be one word. Once you know these six by sight, the gaps stop being confusing.
written ā
Sound. A long 'aa', like the a in father. On its own it carries no sound of its own — it stretches the vowel before it.
Where it is made. Open throat, mouth relaxed and open.
Joins only on the right, so it has two shapes
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱهْدِنَا
ihdinā — guide us · al-Fātiḥah 1:6
written d
Sound. A light d, as in door.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue on the gum behind the top front teeth.
Joins only on the right, so it has two shapes
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلدِّين
ad-dīn — the Judgement · al-Fātiḥah 1:4
written dh
Sound. Th as in this — voiced, with the throat buzzing.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue touching the edge of the top front teeth.
Watch out. Not a z. The tongue must show between the teeth.
Joins only on the right, so it has two shapes
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna — those whom · al-Fātiḥah 1:7
written r
Sound. A rolled r, tapped once, like the Spanish r.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue tapping the gum just behind the top teeth.
Joins only on the right, so it has two shapes
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلرَّحْمَٰن
ar-raḥmān — the Most Merciful · al-Fātiḥah 1:1
written z
Sound. Z as in zoo.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue behind the bottom front teeth, air whistling through.
Watch out. Teeth stay closed. If your tongue pokes out, you have said Dhāl.
Joins only on the right, so it has two shapes
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
زِلْزَالَهَا
zilzālahā — its quaking · az-Zalzalah 99:1
written w / ū
Sound. W as in water. With a ḍammah before it, it stretches into a long 'oo'.
Where it is made. Lips rounded and pushed forward.
Joins only on the right, so it has two shapes
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْوَسْوَاس
al-waswās — the whisperer · an-Nās 114:4
Stage 2 of 5
After this you can: Tell five very similar letters apart by counting dots.
These five share one small curved body. Everything that separates them is the dots: one below, one above, two above, three above. Learn them together and you have learned the single most common shape in the Qur'an.
written b
Sound. B, as in book.
Where it is made. Both lips pressed together, then released.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
بِسْمِ
bismi — in the name of · al-Fātiḥah 1:1
written t
Sound. A light t, as in table.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue on the gum behind the top front teeth.
Watch out. Keep it light and thin. The heavy t is a different letter (Ṭā).
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
أَنْعَمْتَ
anʿamta — You have favoured · al-Fātiḥah 1:7
written th
Sound. Th as in think — never as in this.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue just touching the edge of the top front teeth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْكَوْثَر
al-kawthar — abundance · al-Kawthar 108:1
written n
Sound. N as in noon, also running through the nose.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue on the gum behind the top front teeth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
نَسْتَعِين
nastaʿīn — we ask for help · al-Fātiḥah 1:5
written y / ī
Sound. Y as in yes. With a kasrah before it, it stretches into a long 'ee'.
Where it is made. Middle of the tongue rising towards the roof of the mouth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
إِيَّاكَ
iyyāka — You alone · al-Fātiḥah 1:5
Stage 3 of 5
After this you can: Make the sounds English does not have, in the right part of the throat.
This group is where most new readers go wrong, because English simply has no equivalent for some of them. They are made at different depths of the throat, and swapping one for another changes the word. Say them slowly, with a hand on your throat.
written ḥ
Sound. A strong, breathy h — much fuller than the English h.
Where it is made. Middle of the throat, squeezed.
Watch out. Do not soften it into an ordinary h, and do not scrape it like Khā.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْحَمْدُ
al-ḥamdu — all praise · al-Fātiḥah 1:2
written kh
Sound. A scraped sound from the back of the mouth, like the ch in Scottish loch.
Where it is made. Nearest part of the throat, close to the mouth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْخَنَّاس
al-khannās — the one who withdraws · an-Nās 114:4
written ʿ
Sound. There is no English equivalent. A tight, voiced squeeze from the middle of the throat.
Where it is made. Middle of the throat, tightened while the voice keeps running.
Watch out. It is not a vowel and not a silent gap. Ḥā is the same place without the voice.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
نَعْبُدُ
naʿbudu — we worship · al-Fātiḥah 1:5
written gh
Sound. Like a French r, or gargling gently.
Where it is made. Nearest part of the throat, with the voice on.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْمَغْضُوب
al-maghḍūb — those who earned anger · al-Fātiḥah 1:7
written h
Sound. A soft h, as in hope.
Where it is made. Deepest part of the throat, relaxed and open.
Watch out. This is the gentle one. Ḥā is the squeezed one.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
هُوَ
huwa — He is · al-Ikhlāṣ 112:1
written j
Sound. J as in jam.
Where it is made. Middle of the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْجِنَّةِ
al-jinnati — the jinn · an-Nās 114:6
Stage 4 of 5
After this you can: Hear the difference between a thin letter and its full-mouthed twin.
Arabic pairs several letters: one said with a thin, forward mouth, one said with the back of the tongue raised so the whole sound turns dark. The letters look different and mean different things. Read each pair aloud one after the other until the difference is obvious to your own ear.
written s
Sound. A light s, as in sun.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue behind the bottom front teeth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلنَّاس
an-nās — mankind · an-Nās 114:1
written ṣ
Sound. A heavy s — the same s, but said with a full, rounded mouth.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue behind the bottom teeth, back of the tongue raised.
Watch out. The vowel after it turns dark: ṣa sounds like 'sa' in saw, not in sat.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلصِّرَٰط
aṣ-ṣirāṭ — the path · al-Fātiḥah 1:6
written t
Sound. A light t, as in table.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue on the gum behind the top front teeth.
Watch out. Keep it light and thin. The heavy t is a different letter (Ṭā).
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
أَنْعَمْتَ
anʿamta — You have favoured · al-Fātiḥah 1:7
written ṭ
Sound. A heavy t, struck firmly with a full mouth.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue on the gum behind the top teeth, back of the tongue raised.
Watch out. Compare it with Tā: same place, but the whole mouth is fuller.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلصِّرَٰط
aṣ-ṣirāṭ — the path · al-Fātiḥah 1:6
written dh
Sound. Th as in this — voiced, with the throat buzzing.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue touching the edge of the top front teeth.
Watch out. Not a z. The tongue must show between the teeth.
Joins only on the right, so it has two shapes
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna — those whom · al-Fātiḥah 1:7
written ẓ
Sound. A heavy version of the th in this.
Where it is made. Tip of the tongue on the edge of the top teeth, back of the tongue raised.
Watch out. Ẓā has the tongue on the teeth; Ḍād has the side of the tongue on the back teeth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ
aẓ-ẓālimīn — the wrongdoers · al-Baqarah 2:35
written ḍ
Sound. A heavy d, held a moment longer than the light one.
Where it is made. Side of the tongue pressed against the upper back teeth.
Watch out. The letter Arabic is named after. Do not flatten it into a plain d or a ẓ.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلضَّآلِّين
aḍ-ḍāllīn — those who go astray · al-Fātiḥah 1:7
Stage 5 of 5
After this you can: Recognise all twenty-eight letters on sight.
These are the letters with close English equivalents, so they come quickly. Work through them and the alphabet is complete.
written sh
Sound. Sh as in ship, with the air spreading out.
Where it is made. Middle of the tongue against the roof of the mouth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
شَرِّ
sharri — the evil of · al-Falaq 113:2
written f
Sound. F as in fan.
Where it is made. Inside of the bottom lip against the tips of the top front teeth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْفَلَق
al-falaq — the daybreak · al-Falaq 113:1
written q
Sound. A k made far back, deep in the throat.
Where it is made. Back of the tongue against the soft roof of the mouth.
Watch out. Not the k in cat — that is Kāf, made further forward.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
قُلْ
qul — say · al-Ikhlāṣ 112:1
written k
Sound. K as in king, light and forward.
Where it is made. Back of the tongue, just in front of where Qāf is made.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
مَٰلِكِ
māliki — Master of · al-Fātiḥah 1:4
written l
Sound. L as in love.
Where it is made. Tip and sides of the tongue against the gum above the front teeth.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
لِلَّهِ
lillāhi — belongs to Allah · al-Fātiḥah 1:2
written m
Sound. M as in moon, with the sound running through the nose.
Where it is made. Both lips closed.
Its four shapes — tap one
Standing alone, with nothing joined to it on either side.
Find it in the Qur'an
ٱلْمُسْتَقِيم
al-mustaqīm — the straight · al-Fātiḥah 1:6
The marks that make letters speak
A bare letter is only a consonant. The small marks above and below it say which vowel follows, whether the letter is doubled, and whether it takes no vowel at all. Learn these six and you can sound out any word in the muṣḥaf, even before you know what it means.
Check yourself
A letter appears in one of its joined shapes — say which letter it is. This is the skill that turns a page of Arabic from a pattern into words. Keep going until you are right most of the time.
Loading a letter…
The standard order, for reference once you know them.
Once the letters are familiar, read a short sūrah with the word-by-word view switched on: tap each word to hear it and see its meaning. Sūrat al-Fātiḥah is the place to begin, because you already recite it in every prayer.