---
title: "The Arabic letter ش (shīn): sound, forms and words"
description: "ش (shīn) is letter 13 of 28 in the Arabic alphabet: how it sounds, how it is written at the start, middle and end of a word, and Arabic words that begin with it."
canonical: "https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/shin"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter ش (shīn): sound, forms and words

ش, called shīn, is letter 13 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: sh. It joins the letter after it, so it has four written forms.

## How ش is written

- Alone: ش
- Start: ش‍
- Middle: ‍ش‍
- End: ‍ش

## Arabic words that begin with ش

From the Fasaha dictionary, easiest first. Each word opens its own page with meaning, root and forms.

- [شَلْهُوب](https://fasaha.app/w/shalhub) — Shalhūb, Shalhoub (Juha's donkey) (A0)
- [شَارِع](https://fasaha.app/w/sharia) — shāriʿ, street (A0)
- [شُكْر](https://fasaha.app/w/shukr) — shukr, thanks (A0)
- [شَرِبَ](https://fasaha.app/w/shariba) — shariba, to drink (A0)
- [شَمْس](https://fasaha.app/w/shams) — shams, sun (A0)
- [شُرْطَة](https://fasaha.app/w/shurta) — shurṭa, police (A1)
- [شَرَاب](https://fasaha.app/w/sharab) — sharāb, drink; syrup (A1)
- [شَبَاب](https://fasaha.app/w/shabab) — shabāb, young people; youth (A2)

## Questions about ش

### How do you pronounce the Arabic letter ش?

ش (shīn) sounds like this: sh.

### Does ش join the next letter?

Yes. ش joins the letter after it, so it has separate start, middle and end shapes: ش‍, ‍ش‍, ‍ش.

### What number is ش in the Arabic alphabet?

ش is letter 13 of 28, after س (sīn) and before ص (ṣād).

- Previous letter: [س (sīn)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/sin)
- Next letter: [ص (ṣād)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/sad)

[All 28 letters in the alphabet chart](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet-chart)