The 28 letters
| Letter | Name | IPA | Rough English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ا | Alif | aː | long a |
| ب | Ba | b | b |
| ت | Ta | t | t |
| ث | Tha | θ | th (think) |
| ج | Jim | dʒ | j |
| ح | Ha | ħ | heavy h |
| خ | Kha | x | kh (Bach) |
| د | Dal | d | d |
| ذ | Dhal | ð | th (this) |
| ر | Ra | r | rolled r |
| ز | Zay | z | z |
| س | Sin | s | s |
| ش | Shin | ʃ | sh |
| ص | Sad | sˤ | emphatic s |
| ض | Dad | dˤ | emphatic d |
| ط | Ta | tˤ | emphatic t |
| ظ | Za | ðˤ | emphatic dh |
| ع | ‘Ayn | ʕ | throat sound |
| غ | Ghayn | ɣ | gargled g |
| ف | Fa | f | f |
| ق | Qaf | q | back-of-throat k |
| ك | Kaf | k | k |
| ل | Lam | l | l |
| م | Mim | m | m |
| ن | Nun | n | n |
| ه | Ha | h | light h |
| و | Waw | w | w |
| ي | Ya | j | y |
How to practice
- Listen to each letter’s audio 3 times.
- Trace it on paper.
- Say it aloud with the audio.
- Repeat until you can recognize any letter in isolation.
Heavy vs. light letters
Heavy (mufakhkham): خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق plus ر in specific contexts.
Light (muraqqaq): everything else.
Heaviness matters for correct Quranic recitation.
Forms
Each letter has up to four forms: isolated, initial, medial, final. The app shows all forms.
