Welcome: how Arabic is written New

Arabic is written and read from right to left. A book or a page starts on the right-hand side.

Try it with these letters: start with the one on the right, ب, and move left: ب ت ث.

The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, plus the Hamzah (ء) which is also counted in the Qur'an. There are no capital letters. Every letter has a name (like Baa) and a sound (like b).

At first you will learn each letter's name and shape. Later you will learn its sound with vowels.

In a word most letters join to the letter after them, and they change shape a little when they do. For example ب and ت joined together look like this: بت. Six letters never join the letter after them. You will learn all of this in Level 2.

Small marks above and below the letters tell you which vowel to say: بَ is 'ba', بِ is 'bi', بُ is 'bu'. These marks are called harakaat. Other marks make a letter rest, double or stretch. Each one has its own lesson.

• Learn: read the explanation and tap every Arabic example to hear it.
• Practice: tap each card to hear it, say it out loud, then tap ✓ when you can read it by yourself.
• Quiz: listen and choose the right card.
• Settings (⚙️): choose English or Urdu, and the colours.
• Go in order. Little and often (10–15 minutes a day) works better than a long session once a week.