---
title: "Arabic alphabet chart — all 28 letters in every position | Fasaha | Fasaha"
description: "A free chart of the 28 Arabic letters showing each one isolated and as it is written at the start, middle and end of a word, with the six letters that never join forwards."
canonical: "https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet-chart"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

Free tool

# Arabic alphabet chart: every letter in all four positions

Arabic letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. That is the single fact that makes the script feel unreadable at first, and the single fact that stops mattering once you have seen the shapes side by side. Here are all 28 letters, isolated and in each joined position.

| Letter | Alone | Start | Middle | End |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ألفʾalif | ا | ا | ‍ا | ‍ا |
| باءbāʾ | ب | ب‍ | ‍ب‍ | ‍ب |
| تاءtāʾ | ت | ت‍ | ‍ت‍ | ‍ت |
| ثاءthāʾ | ث | ث‍ | ‍ث‍ | ‍ث |
| جيمjīm | ج | ج‍ | ‍ج‍ | ‍ج |
| حاءḥāʾ | ح | ح‍ | ‍ح‍ | ‍ح |
| خاءkhāʾ | خ | خ‍ | ‍خ‍ | ‍خ |
| دالdāl | د | د | ‍د | ‍د |
| ذالdhāl | ذ | ذ | ‍ذ | ‍ذ |
| راءrāʾ | ر | ر | ‍ر | ‍ر |
| زايzāy | ز | ز | ‍ز | ‍ز |
| سينsīn | س | س‍ | ‍س‍ | ‍س |
| شينshīn | ش | ش‍ | ‍ش‍ | ‍ش |
| صادṣād | ص | ص‍ | ‍ص‍ | ‍ص |
| ضادḍād | ض | ض‍ | ‍ض‍ | ‍ض |
| طاءṭāʾ | ط | ط‍ | ‍ط‍ | ‍ط |
| ظاءẓāʾ | ظ | ظ‍ | ‍ظ‍ | ‍ظ |
| عينʿayn | ع | ع‍ | ‍ع‍ | ‍ع |
| غينghayn | غ | غ‍ | ‍غ‍ | ‍غ |
| فاءfāʾ | ف | ف‍ | ‍ف‍ | ‍ف |
| قافqāf | ق | ق‍ | ‍ق‍ | ‍ق |
| كافkāf | ك | ك‍ | ‍ك‍ | ‍ك |
| لامlām | ل | ل‍ | ‍ل‍ | ‍ل |
| ميمmīm | م | م‍ | ‍م‍ | ‍م |
| نونnūn | ن | ن‍ | ‍ن‍ | ‍ن |
| هاءhāʾ | ه | ه‍ | ‍ه‍ | ‍ه |
| واوwāw | و | و | ‍و | ‍و |
| ياءyāʾ | ي | ي‍ | ‍ي‍ | ‍ي |

## Six letters break the word

Most letters join to the letter after them. These six never do. A word containing one of them looks like it has a gap in the middle — it does not; the gap is the rule.

ا د ذ ر ز و

- After one of these six, the next letter starts a fresh shape, as if a new word had begun.
- Because nothing attaches on their left, they have no separate start or middle shape. The repeated glyphs in their rows are dimmed.

## How the letters sound

Shape is the first half of reading Arabic. The second half is sound, including the handful of letters English has no equivalent for.

Read the alphabet guide