Arabic alphabet
A 28-letter cursive abjad written right-to-left.
The Arabic alphabet is a script specifically designed for writing the Arabic language, often called an Arabic abjad. It is unicameral, meaning it has no separate capital letters, and is written from right to left in a cursive style. The alphabet consists of 28 letters, most of which change shape depending on their position in a word. Because it primarily records consonants and only optionally uses diacritics to indicate vowels, it is classified as an impure abjad.
Each of the 28 basic letters represents a consonant or long vowel; diacritics are separate marks used to indicate short vowels or other phonetic features. When adapted for other languages, letters are sometimes added or removed—for example, ⟨پ⟩ is used for the /p/ sound. Many letters share a similar central shape (rasm) but are distinguished by dots (ʾiʿjām) placed above or below it; these dots are essential to the letter, as they differentiate sounds. For instance, ب (b), ت (t), and ث (th) all have the same basic form, differing only by one dot below, two dots above, or three dots above, respectively. The letter ن (n) also follows this pattern in its initial and medial forms, though its isolated and final shapes differ. Historically, early Arabic texts sometimes omitted these dots, leaving only the bare consonantal skeleton, which is known as rasm.
Both printed and handwritten Arabic are cursive, with most letters joined directly to adjacent ones within a word. Letter shapes vary by position: initial, medial, final, or isolated (IMFI). Some letters change considerably across these positions, while others stay nearly identical. Generally, letters are linked on both sides by short horizontal lines, but six letters (ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, و) can only connect to the preceding letter. Certain letter combinations form ligatures, with lām-alif (لا) being the only mandatory one—the unligated form لا is considered hard to read.
The hamza (glottal stop /ʔ/) can appear as a standalone letter or as a diacritic with a carrier. Hamzat al-madd (آ) represents a long /ʔ/ + /aː/ sound, as in آسف (ʾāsif). Other hamza forms indicate the glottal stop in various word positions, like in مسؤول (masʾūl) and سائل (sāʾil), with placement governed by specific rules.
Quick Facts
- Languages
- Arabic
- Time
- 3rd century CE – present
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Arabic alphabet contains 28 letters, each representing a consonant or long vowel; diacritics are separate marks used for short vowels or other phonetic distinctions. Many letters share similar shapes but are distinguished by dots (ʾiʿjām) placed above or below the central part (rasm); for example, ب (b), ت (t), and ث (th) differ only by one, two, or three dots. Historically, early Arabic texts sometimes omitted these dots, leaving only the bare consonantal skeleton, which is known as rasm. Both printed and written Arabic are cursive, with most letters within a word directly joined to adjacent letters, and letters can exhibit up to four distinct forms corresponding to initial, medial, final, or isolated positions (IMFI). Six letters (ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, و) can only be linked to their preceding letter, and some combinations, notably lām-alif (لا), form mandatory ligatures.
Reader's Guide
The Arabic alphabet is significant as the script for the Arabic language, used in religious, literary, and everyday contexts. As an impure abjad, it primarily records consonants, with vowels optionally indicated by diacritics. Its cursive nature and contextual letter forms require specific rules for joining and ligatures, such as the compulsory lām-alif combination. The alphabet has two main collating sequences: the Hija'i order, used in modern dictionaries and reference books, and the Abjadi order, which derives from the Phoenician alphabet and assigns numerical values for numerology. Adaptations of the script for other languages have added and removed letters, such as ⟨پ⟩ for /p/. The writing of the hamza (glottal stop) follows complex rules, with forms including hamzat al-madd (آ) for a long /ʔ/ + /aː/ sound. Long vowels are represented in vocalized text by combining short vowel signs with alif, waw, or ya, while in unvocalized text, the letters themselves indicate the long vowels. The alphabet's structure and rules have shaped Arabic writing and reading practices for centuries.
Did You Know?
- The Arabic alphabet is considered an impure abjad because it uses optional diacritics to notate vowels.
- The only mandatory ligature in Arabic is lām-alif (لا); unligated لا is considered difficult to read.
- The Abjadi order assigns numerical values to letters for numerology, similar to Hebrew gematria and Greek isopsephy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Arabic alphabet?
The Arabic alphabet is a 28-letter cursive writing system built specifically for the Arabic language. It is classified as an impure abjad because its core letters record consonants (and long vowels) while short vowels are handled by optional diacritical marks layered on top.
How do you read and write the Arabic alphabet?
Text flows from right to left in a connected, cursive style. The script is unicameral, so there is no separate capital or lowercase form—every letter keeps the same basic shape whether it starts a sentence or sits mid-word.
Why is the Arabic alphabet called an 'impure abjad'?
A pure abjad would record only consonants with no vowel notation at all. The Arabic script is 'impure' because it does employ diacritics as separate marks to signal short vowels, even though those marks are not integral to the 28 letter forms themselves.
What visually distinguishes one Arabic letter from another?
Many of the 28 letters share the same underlying consonantal skeleton (rasm) and are told apart by small dots (ʾiʿjām) placed above or below that skeleton. On top of that, most letters shift their shape depending on whether they sit at the start, middle, or end of a word.
How many letters are in the Arabic alphabet and what do they represent?
There are exactly 28 basic letters, each standing for a consonant or a long vowel. Short vowels are not part of the letter inventory; they are indicated by diacritical marks added above or below the consonantal strokes as needed.
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