Lesson 1 of 107 min
Start reading shapes
How Arabic Letters Join
Read from right to left and recognise how one letter changes shape inside a word.
Arabic is read from right to left. Most letters join the next letter, so a letter can look slightly different at the beginning, middle, and end of a word.
The identity of the letter does not change. Think of handwriting in English: the same sound can wear a different shape depending on what touches it.
Rule 1
Follow the word from right to left
Your eye begins at the right edge. Trace each connected shape toward the left before trying to pronounce the whole word.
كِتَاب
kitab
book
Read ك then ت then ا then ب.
سَلَام
salam
peace
Begin with the seen on the right.
Rule 2
Six letters break the join
Alif, dal, dhal, ra, zay, and waw do not join the letter that follows them. A small gap after one of these letters is normal, not the end of the word.
وَرَدَ
warada
he came or occurred
Waw and ra create breaks inside the word.
ذِكْر
dhikr
remembrance
Dhal does not connect forward.
Try it yourself
Pause before revealing the answer
01Which side do you begin from?رَبّTap to check your answer
Which side do you begin from?
رَبّ
Tap to check your answer
Begin with ر on the right, then move left to ب.
02Why is there a gap inside this word?وَاحِدTap to check your answer
Why is there a gap inside this word?
وَاحِد
Tap to check your answer
Alif does not join the letter after it. The gap does not split the word.
Keep this one thing
Move right to left, and treat gaps after ا د ذ ر ز و as normal parts of a word.