Arabic Alphabet — 28 Letters, Pronunciation & Makhraj Guide
Arabic has 28 letters, written right to left, and all of them are consonants — the vowels are marks placed above and below. This page gives every letter with its name, how it is written in this site’s transliteration, the nearest English sound, and its makhraj: the point in the mouth or throat where it is produced.
Once you know these, the transliteration key explains the ten special symbols used throughout the Qur’an text on this site.
All 28 letters
| # | Letter | Name | Translit. | Forms (initial · medial · final) | Sound | Makhraj | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ا | Alif أَلِف | ā / a | ا · ـا · ـا | Long 'a' as in 'father'. Carries a hamzah or lengthens a fatha. | Empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf) when lengthening | اللّٰه Allāh God |
| 2 | ب | Bā بَاء | b | بـ · ـبـ · ـب | 'b' as in 'book'. | Both lips pressed together | بَاب bāb door |
| 3 | ت | Tā تَاء | t | تـ · ـتـ · ـت | Light 't' as in 'table', tongue tip on the gum. | Tip of the tongue against the roots of the upper front teeth | تَوْبَة tawbah repentance |
| 4 | ث | Thā ثَاء | th special sound | ثـ · ـثـ · ـث | Unvoiced 'th' as in 'think' — not as in 'this'. | Tip of the tongue against the edge of the upper front teeth | ثَلَاث thalāth three |
| 5 | ج | Jīm جِيم | j | جـ · ـجـ · ـج | 'j' as in 'jam'. | Middle of the tongue against the hard palate | جَنَّة jannah garden, paradise |
| 6 | ح | Ḥā حَاء | ḥ special sound | حـ · ـحـ · ـح | Breathy 'h' from the middle of the throat. No English equivalent. | Middle of the throat | الْحَمْد al-ḥamd the praise |
| 7 | خ | Khā خَاء | kh special sound | خـ · ـخـ · ـخ | Like the 'ch' in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach'. | Nearest part of the throat to the mouth | خَيْر khayr good |
| 8 | د | Dāl دَال | d | د · ـد · ـد | Light 'd' as in 'door'. | Tip of the tongue against the roots of the upper front teeth | دِين dīn religion |
| 9 | ذ | Dhāl ذَال | dh special sound | ذ · ـذ · ـذ | Voiced 'th' as in 'this' or 'that'. | Tip of the tongue against the edge of the upper front teeth | ذِكْر dhikr remembrance |
| 10 | ر | Rā رَاء | r | ر · ـر · ـر | Lightly rolled 'r', closer to Spanish than English. | Tip of the tongue against the upper gum, slightly further in than Nūn | رَحْمَة raḥmah mercy |
| 11 | ز | Zāy زَاي | z | ز · ـز · ـز | 'z' as in 'zoo'. | Tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth | زَكَاة zakāh obligatory charity |
| 12 | س | Sīn سِين | s | سـ · ـسـ · ـس | Light 's' as in 'sun'. | Tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth | سَلَام salām peace |
| 13 | ش | Shīn شِين | sh | شـ · ـشـ · ـش | 'sh' as in 'ship'. | Middle of the tongue against the hard palate | شُكْر shukr gratitude |
| 14 | ص | Ṣād صَاد | ṣ special sound | صـ · ـصـ · ـص | Heavy, emphatic 's' with the tongue raised and the mouth rounded. | Tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth, tongue body raised | صِرَاط ṣirāṭ path |
| 15 | ض | Ḍād ضَاد | ḍ special sound | ضـ · ـضـ · ـض | Heavy 'd'. Unique to Arabic — the language is called lughat al-Ḍād after it. | Side of the tongue against the upper molars | الضَّالِّين aḍ-ḍāllīn those astray |
| 16 | ط | Ṭā طَاء | ṭ special sound | طـ · ـطـ · ـط | Heavy, emphatic 't' with the tongue pressed firmly and the mouth rounded. | Tip of the tongue against the roots of the upper front teeth, pressed | طَيِّب ṭayyib good, pure |
| 17 | ظ | Ẓā ظَاء | ẓ special sound | ظـ · ـظـ · ـظ | Heavy voiced 'th' — like 'this' but emphatic and rounded. | Tip of the tongue against the edge of the upper front teeth, emphatic | الْعَظِيم al-ʿaẓīm the Magnificent |
| 18 | ع | ʿAyn عَيْن | ʿ special sound | عـ · ـعـ · ـع | A voiced constriction from the middle of the throat. No English equivalent at all. | Middle of the throat | الْعَالَمِين al-ʿālamīn the worlds |
| 19 | غ | Ghayn غَيْن | gh special sound | غـ · ـغـ · ـغ | Like a gargled French 'r' — the voiced counterpart of Khā. | Nearest part of the throat to the mouth | غَفُور ghafūr most forgiving |
| 20 | ف | Fā فَاء | f | فـ · ـفـ · ـف | 'f' as in 'fire'. | Inside of the lower lip against the upper front teeth | فَجْر fajr dawn |
| 21 | ق | Qāf قَاف | q special sound | قـ · ـقـ · ـق | Deep 'k' from far back — distinct from Kāf, and not a plain 'k'. | Deepest part of the tongue against the soft palate | قُرْآن qurʾān Qur'an, recitation |
| 22 | ك | Kāf كَاف | k | كـ · ـكـ · ـك | 'k' as in 'kite'. | Deepest part of the tongue, just forward of Qāf | كِتَاب kitāb book |
| 23 | ل | Lām لَام | l | لـ · ـلـ · ـل | 'l' as in 'light'. | Sides and tip of the tongue against the upper gum | لَيْل layl night |
| 24 | م | Mīm مِيم | m | مـ · ـمـ · ـم | 'm' as in 'moon'. | Both lips together, with sound through the nose | مَالِك mālik master, owner |
| 25 | ن | Nūn نُون | n | نـ · ـنـ · ـن | 'n' as in 'noon'. | Tip of the tongue against the upper gum, with nasal resonance | نُور nūr light |
| 26 | ه | Hā هَاء | h | هـ · ـهـ · ـه | Soft 'h' as in 'hat', from the deepest part of the throat. | Deepest part of the throat | هُدَى hudā guidance |
| 27 | و | Wāw وَاو | w / ū | و · ـو · ـو | 'w' as in 'water'; lengthens to 'ū' as in 'moon' when carrying a damma. | Rounded lips, without full closure | وَعْد waʿd promise |
| 28 | ي | Yā يَاء | y / ī | يـ · ـيـ · ـي | 'y' as in 'yes'; lengthens to 'ī' as in 'see' when carrying a kasra. | Middle of the tongue against the hard palate | يَوْم yawm day |
The 11 sounds English does not have
These are the letters that most often get flattened when Arabic is written in English letters. Each one is given its own symbol in our transliteration precisely so the distinction survives.
Thā — written th
Tip of the tongue against the edge of the upper front teeth
Unvoiced 'th' as in 'think' — not as in 'this'.
Ḥā — written ḥ
Middle of the throat
Breathy 'h' from the middle of the throat. No English equivalent.
Khā — written kh
Nearest part of the throat to the mouth
Like the 'ch' in Scottish 'loch' or German 'Bach'.
Dhāl — written dh
Tip of the tongue against the edge of the upper front teeth
Voiced 'th' as in 'this' or 'that'.
Ṣād — written ṣ
Tip of the tongue behind the lower front teeth, tongue body raised
Heavy, emphatic 's' with the tongue raised and the mouth rounded.
Ḍād — written ḍ
Side of the tongue against the upper molars
Heavy 'd'. Unique to Arabic — the language is called lughat al-Ḍād after it.
Ṭā — written ṭ
Tip of the tongue against the roots of the upper front teeth, pressed
Heavy, emphatic 't' with the tongue pressed firmly and the mouth rounded.
Ẓā — written ẓ
Tip of the tongue against the edge of the upper front teeth, emphatic
Heavy voiced 'th' — like 'this' but emphatic and rounded.
ʿAyn — written ʿ
Middle of the throat
A voiced constriction from the middle of the throat. No English equivalent at all.
Ghayn — written gh
Nearest part of the throat to the mouth
Like a gargled French 'r' — the voiced counterpart of Khā.
Qāf — written q
Deepest part of the tongue against the soft palate
Deep 'k' from far back — distinct from Kāf, and not a plain 'k'.
Letters grouped by articulation point
Grouping the letters by where they are produced makes the similar-sounding pairs easier to separate — and is how tajweed is traditionally taught.
Throat (al-Halq) — 6 letters
- اAlif · ā / a
- حḤā · ḥ
- خKhā · kh
- عʿAyn · ʿ
- غGhayn · gh
- هHā · h
Tongue (al-Lisan) — 18 letters
- تTā · t
- ثThā · th
- جJīm · j
- دDāl · d
- ذDhāl · dh
- رRā · r
- زZāy · z
- سSīn · s
- شShīn · sh
- صṢād · ṣ
- ضḌād · ḍ
- طṬā · ṭ
- ظẒā · ẓ
- قQāf · q
- كKāf · k
- لLām · l
- نNūn · n
- يYā · y / ī
Lips (ash-Shafatan) — 4 letters
- بBā · b
- فFā · f
- مMīm · m
- وWāw · w / ū
Short vowels and other marks (Harakāt)
Arabic letters carry no vowel of their own. These marks supply it — and they are the reason the same three letters can be read several different ways.
| Mark | Name | Translit. | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| ـَ | Fatḥah فَتْحَة | a | A short 'a', written as a small stroke above the letter. Lengthened to ā by a following alif. |
| ـِ | Kasrah كَسْرَة | i | A short 'i', written as a small stroke below the letter. Lengthened to ī by a following yā. |
| ـُ | Ḍammah ضَمَّة | u | A short 'u', written as a small wāw above the letter. Lengthened to ū by a following wāw. |
| ـْ | Sukūn سُكُون | (none) | A small circle marking a letter with no vowel — the consonant is closed with no sound after it. |
| ـّ | Shaddah شَدَّة | doubled letter | Doubles the consonant, held twice as long. In transliteration the letter is simply written twice, as in 'rabb'. |
| ـً | Fatḥatān (tanwīn) فَتْحَتَان | an | Double fatḥah on a final letter, giving an '-an' ending. |
| ـٍ | Kasratān (tanwīn) كَسْرَتَان | in | Double kasrah on a final letter, giving an '-in' ending. |
| ـٌ | Ḍammatān (tanwīn) ضَمَّتَان | un | Double ḍammah on a final letter, giving an '-un' ending. |
Sun and moon letters
When the definite article ال (al-) comes before a sun letter, the l disappears and the following letter doubles: الشَّمْس is read ash-shams, not al-shams. Before a moon letter it stays: الْقَمَر is al-qamar. This is exactly why you will see ar-Raḥmān and an-Nūr in the transliteration on this site.
Sun letters (14) — al- assimilates
ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن
Moon letters (14) — al- stays
ا ب ج ح خ ع غ ف ق ك م ه و ي
Common questions
How many letters are in the Arabic alphabet?
There are 28 letters. All of them are consonants — the short vowels (a, i, u) are written as marks above and below the letters rather than as letters of their own. Three of the 28 (alif, wāw, yā) double as long-vowel carriers.
What is makhraj?
Makhraj (مخرج) means the point of articulation — the exact place in the mouth or throat where a letter's sound is produced. Tajweed classifies these into five main regions: the empty space of the mouth, the throat, the tongue, the lips, and the nasal passage. Two letters can look similar in English transliteration but have completely different makhraj, which is why ḥ and h, or s and ṣ, are written differently here.
Which Arabic letters are hardest for English speakers?
The ones with no English equivalent: Thā, Ḥā, Khā, Dhāl, Ṣād, Ḍād, Ṭā, Ẓā, ʿAyn, Ghayn, Qāf. These are exactly the letters this site marks with a dot or line underneath in its transliteration, so you can see at a glance that a special sound is required.
What are sun and moon letters?
The 14 sun letters absorb the 'l' of a preceding definite article, so الشمس is read ash-shams, not al-shams. The 14 moon letters keep it, so القمر stays al-qamar. This is why the transliteration on this site sometimes writes ar-, ash- or an- instead of al-.
Do I need to learn the alphabet if I read transliteration?
You can begin with transliteration, and many people do. But transliteration cannot fully represent Arabic — several distinct letters collapse into similar Latin spellings, and vowel length changes meaning. Learning the 28 letters is what lets you eventually read the Qur'an as written.
Next steps
- Transliteration key — the ten special symbols used in our Qur’an text
- Tajweed basics — the rules that govern how letters are lengthened, merged and stopped
- Surah Al-Fatihah — read your first surah with word-by-word audio
- The 99 Names of Allah — short, memorable words to practise the letters on