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<!DOCTYPE HTML> <html> <head> <title>Arabic alphabet, pronunciation and language</title> <meta name="description" content="Details of written and spoken Arabic, including the Arabic alphabet and pronunciation" />  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start': new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src= 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f); })(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-WB7PSHBG');</script>  <meta charset="UTF-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.omniglot.com/images/logos/omniglot_thumbnail.jpg" /> <meta property="og:type" content="https://www.facebook.com/pg/Omniglot-100430558332117/posts/" /> <link href="/styles/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <script src="https://the.gatekeeperconsent.com/cmp.min.js" data-cfasync="false"></script> <script async src="//www.ezojs.com/ezoic/sa.min.js"></script> <script> window.ezstandalone = window.ezstandalone || {}; ezstandalone.cmd = ezstandalone.cmd || []; </script><link href="../styles/linguashop.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> </head> <body> <div id="header">  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-WB7PSHBG" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <p><a href="/index.htm"><img src="/images/logos/header_omniglot.png" width="600" height="70" alt="Omniglot - the online encyclopedia of writing systems & languages" /></a></p> <ul> <li><a href="/index.htm">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/writing/index.htm">Alphabets</a></li> <li><a href="/conscripts/index.htm">Constructed scripts</a></li> <li><a href="/writing/languages.htm">Languages</a></li> <li><a href="/language/phrases/phraseindex.htm">Phrases</a></li> <li><a href="/language/numbers/index.htm">Numbers</a></li> <li><a href="/language/ml.htm">Multilingual Pages</a></li> <li><a href="/search.htm">Search</a></li> <li><a href="/news/index.htm">News</a></li> <li><a href="/about.htm">About</a></li> <li><a href="/contact.htm">Contact</a></li> </ul></div> <div id="bodybox"> <span style="text-align:center;"><div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-162"></div> <script> ezstandalone.cmd.push(function() { ezstandalone.showAds(162); }); </script></span><div id="body"> <h1>Arabic <img src="../images/langnames/nm_arabic.gif" width="102" height="40" class="rightfloat" alt="Arabic alphabet ('alifbā 'al˂rbīya)" /></h1> <p>The Arabic script evolved from the <a href="nabataean.htm">Nabataean</a> Aramaic script. It has been used since the 4th century AD, but the earliest document, an inscription in Arabic, <a href="syriac.htm">Syriac</a> and <a href="greek.htm">Greek</a>, dates from 512 AD. The Aramaic language has fewer consonants than Arabic, so during the 7th century new Arabic letters were created by adding dots to existing letters in order to avoid ambiguities. Further diacritics indicating short vowels were introduced, but are only generally used to ensure the Qur'an was read aloud without mistakes. </p> <p>There are two main types of written Arabic:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Classical Arabic</strong> - the language of the Qur'an and classical literature. It differs from Modern Standard Arabic mainly in style and vocabulary, some of which is archaic. All Muslims are expected to recite the Qur'an in the original language, however many rely on translations in order to understand the text.</li> <li><strong>Modern Standard Arabic</strong> (<span dir="rtl">اللغة العربية الفصحى</span> / al-luġatu l-ʿarabiyyatu l-fuṣḥā) - the universal language of the Arabic-speaking world which is understood by all Arabic speakers. It is the language of the vast majority of written material and of formal TV shows, lectures, etc.</li> </ol> <p>Each Arabic speaking country or region also has its own variety of colloquial spoken Arabic. These colloquial varieties of Arabic appear in written form in some poetry, cartoons and comics, plays and personal letters. There are also translations of the Bible into most varieties of colloquial Arabic. </p> <p>Arabic has also been written with the <a href="hebrew.htm">Hebrew</a>, <a href="syriac.htm">Syriac</a> and <a href="latin.htm">Latin</a> scripts. </p> <h2>Notable Features</h2> <ul> <li><a href="types.htm">Type of writing system</a>: <a href="abjads.htm">abjad / consonant alphabet</a></li> <li><a href="direction.htm">Writing direction</a>: words are written in horizontal lines from right to left, numerals are written from left to right</li> <li>Number of letters: 28 (in Arabic) - some additional letters are used in Arabic when writing placenames or foreign words containing sounds which do not occur in Standard Arabic, such as /p/ or /g/. Additional letters are used when writing other languages.</li> <li>Used to write: Arabic, <a href="/writing/adamaua.htm">Adamaua Fulfulde</a>, <a href="/writing/afrikaans.htm">Afrikaans</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_algerian.htm">Arabic (Algerian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_bedawi.htm">Arabic (Bedawi)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_chadian.htm">Arabic (Chadian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_egypt.htm">Arabic (Egyptian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_gulf.htm">Arabic (Gulf)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hassaniya.htm">Arabic (Hassaniya)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hejazi.htm">Arabic (Hejazi)</a>, <a href="/writing/lebanese.htm">Arabic (Lebanese)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_libyan.htm">Arabic (Libyan)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic.htm">Arabic (Modern Standard)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_moroccan.htm">Arabic (Moroccan)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_najdi.htm">Arabic (Najdi)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_sudanese.htm">Arabic (Sudanese)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_syrian.htm">Arabic (Syrian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_tunisian.htm">Arabic (Tunisian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arwi.htm">Arwi</a>, <a href="/writing/aynu.htm">Äynu</a>, <a href="/writing/azeri.htm">Azeri</a>, <a href="/writing/balantaganja.htm">Balanta-Ganja</a>, <a href="/writing/balti.htm">Balti</a>, <a href="/writing/baluchi.php">Baluchi</a>, <a href="/writing/beja.htm">Beja</a>, <a href="/writing/belarusian.htm">Belarusian</a>, <a href="/writing/bosnian.htm">Bosnian</a>, <a href="/writing/brahui.htm">Brahui</a>, <a href="/writing/chagatai.htm">Chagatai</a>, <a href="/writing/chechen.htm">Chechen</a>, <a href="/writing/chittagonian.htm">Chittagonian</a>, <a href="/writing/comorian.htm">Comorian</a>, <a href="/writing/crimeantatar.php">Crimean Tatar</a>, <a href="/writing/dargwa.htm">Dargwa</a>, <a href="/writing/dari.htm">Dari</a>, <a href="/writing/dhatki.htm">Dhatki</a>, <a href="/writing/dogri.htm">Dogri</a>, <a href="/writing/domari.htm">Domari</a>, <a href="/writing/gawarbati.htm">Gawar Bati</a>, <a href="/writing/gawri.htm">Gawri</a>, <a href="/writing/gilaki.htm">Gilaki</a>, <a href="/writing/hausa.htm">Hausa</a>, <a href="/writing/hazaragi.htm">Hazaragi</a>, <a href="/writing/hindko.htm">Hindko</a>, <a href="/writing/induskohistani.htm">Indus Kohistani</a>, <a href="/writing/kabyle.php">Kabyle</a>, <a href="/writing/kalkoti.htm">Kalkoti</a>, <a href="/writing/karakalpak.php">Karakalpak</a>, <a href="/writing/kashmiri.htm">Kashmiri</a>, <a href="/writing/kazakh.htm">Kazakh</a>, <a href="/writing/khowar.htm">Khowar</a>, <a href="/writing/khorasaniturkic.htm">Khorasani Turkic</a>, <a href="/writing/chorasmian.htm">Khwarezmian</a>, <a href="/writing/konkani.htm">Konkani</a>, <a href="/writing/kumzari.htm">Kumzari</a>, <a href="/writing/kurdish.htm">Kurdish</a>, <a href="/writing/kirghiz.htm">Kyrgyz</a>, <a href="/writing/lezgi.htm">Lezgi</a>, <a href="/writing/lop.htm">Lop</a>, <a href="/writing/luri.htm">Luri</a>, <a href="/writing/maguindanao.htm">Maguindanao</a>, <a href="/writing/malay.htm">Malay</a>, <a href="/writing/terengganumalay.htm">Malay (Terengganu)</a>, <a href="/writing/mandinka.htm">Mandinka</a>, <a href="/writing/marwari.htm">Marwari</a>, <a href="/writing/mazandarani.htm">Mazandarani</a>, <a href="/writing/mogholi.htm">Mogholi</a>, <a href="/writing/aljamiado.htm">Morisco</a>, <a href="/writing/mozarabic.htm">Mozarabic</a>, <a href="/writing/munji.htm">Munji</a>, <a href="/writing/noakhailla.htm">Noakhailla</a>, <a href="/writing/nubi.htm">Nubi</a>, <a href="/writing/ormuri.htm">Ormuri</a>, <a href="/writing/palula.htm">Palula</a>, <a href="/writing/parkari.htm">Parkari Koli</a>, <a href="/writing/pashto.htm">Pashto</a>, <a href="/writing/persian.htm">Persian/Farsi</a>, <a href="/writing/punjabi.htm">Punjabi</a>, <a href="/writing/qashqai.htm">Qashqai</a>, <a href="/writing/rajasthani.htm">Rajasthani</a>, <a href="/writing/rohingya.htm">Rohingya</a>, <a href="/writing/salar.htm">Salar</a>, <a href="/writing/saraiki.htm">Saraiki</a>, <a href="/writing/sawi.htm">Sawi</a>, <a href="/writing/serer.htm">Serer</a>, <a href="/writing/shabaki.php">Shabaki</a>, <a href="/writing/shina.htm">Shina</a>, <a href="/writing/shughni.htm">Shughni</a>, <a href="/writing/sindhi.htm">Sindhi</a>, <a href="/writing/somali.htm">Somali</a>, <a href="/writing/soninke.htm">Soninke</a>, <a href="/writing/tatar.htm">Tatar</a>, <a href="/writing/tausug.htm">Tausūg</a>, <a href="/writing/tawallammattamajaq.htm">Tawallammat Tamajaq</a>, <a href="/writing/tayarttamajeq.htm">Tayart Tamajeq</a>, <a href="/writing/ternate.htm">Ternate</a>, <a href="/writing/torwali.htm">Torwali</a>, <a href="/writing/turkish.htm">Turkish</a>, <a href="/writing/urdu.htm">Urdu</a>, <a href="/writing/uyghur.htm">Uyghur</a>, <a href="/writing/uzbek.htm">Uzbek</a>, <a href="/writing/wakhi.php">Wakhi</a>, <a href="/writing/wanetsi.htm">Wanetsi</a>, <a href="/writing/wolof.htm">Wolof</a>, <a href="/chinese/xiaoerjing.htm">Xiao'erjing</a>, <a href="/writing/yidgha.htm">Yidgha</a> and a number of other languages</li> <li>Most letters change form depending on whether they appear at the beginning, middle or end of a word, or on their own. (<a href="#arabic">see below</a>)</li> <li>Letters that can be joined are always joined in both hand-written and printed Arabic. The only exceptions to this rule are crossword puzzles and signs in which the script is written vertically.</li> <li>The long vowels /a:/, /i:/ and /u:/ are represented by the letters <em>'alif</em>, <em>yā'</em> and <em>wāw</em> respectively.</li> <li>Vowel diacritics, which are used to mark short vowels, and other special symbols appear only in the Qur'an. They are also used, though with less consistency, in other religious texts, in classical poetry, in books for children and foreign learners, and occasionally in complex texts to avoid ambiguity. Sometimes the diacritics are used for decorative purposes in book titles, letterheads, nameplates, etc.</li> </ul> <a id="arabic"></a> <h2 class="right">Arabic script</h2> <h3 class="right">Arabic consonants</h3> <p class="right"><img src="../images/writing/arabic_cons.gif" width="575" height="438" alt="Arabic consonants" /> </p> <p>The transliteration of consonants used above is the ISO version of 1984. There are various other ways of transliterating Arabic. </p> <p>This chart shows how the letters change in different positions </p> <p class="right"><img src="../images/writing/arabic.gif" width="532" height="516" alt="Different forms of Arabic consonants" /> </p> <h3 class="right">Arabic vowel diacritics and other symbols</h3> <p class="right"><img src="../images/writing/arabic_vwl.gif" width="529" height="345" alt="Arabic vowel diacritics and other symbols" /> </p> <p>Hear how to pronounce the Arabic letters: </p> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OqUr7YzE9CM" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <h3>Arabic chat alphabet</h3> <p>When chatting online some Arabic speakers write in the Latin alphabet use the following letters: </p> <p class="right"><img src="../images/writing/arabic_chat.gif" width="600" height="277" alt="Arabic chat alphabet" /> </p> <p>More details<br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_chat_alphabet">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_chat_alphabet</a><br /> <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8PqvT50OC_EC&pg=PA43&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">https://books.google.co.uk/books</a> </p> <h3>Download</h3> <p>Download an Arabic alphabet chart in <a href="../charts/print/arabic.doc">Word</a> or <a href="../charts/print/arabic.pdf">PDF</a> format </p> <h3>Arabic numerals and numbers</h3> <p>These numerals are those used when writing Arabic and are written from left to right. In Arabic they are known as "Indian numbers" (<span dir="rtl">أرقام هندية</span> / arqa-m hindiyyah). The term 'Arabic numerals' is also used to refer to 1, 2, 3, etc. </p> <p><img src="../images/writing/arabic_num.gif" width="584" height="126" alt="Arabic numerals and numbers" /> </p> <h2>The Arabic language</h2> <p>Arabic is a Semitic language with about 221 million speakers in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Palestinian West Bank & Gaza, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, UAE, Uzbekistan and Yemen. </p> <p>There are over 30 different varieties of colloquial Arabic which include: <a href="/writing/arabic_algerian.htm">Algerian</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_bedawi.htm">Bedawi</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_chadian.htm">Chadian</a>, <a href="/writing/cypriotarabic.htm">Cypriot</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_egypt.htm">Egyptian</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_gulf.htm">Gulf</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hassaniya.htm">Hassaniya</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hejazi.htm">Hejazi</a>, <a href="/writing/lebanese.htm">Lebanese</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_libyan.htm">Libyan</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic.htm">Modern Standard</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_moroccan.htm">Moroccan</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_najdi.htm">Najdi</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_sudanese.htm">Sudanese</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_syrian.htm">Syrian</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_tunisian.htm">Tunisian</a></p> <p>For a full list of all varieties of colloquial Arabic <a href="../language/arabic_stats.xls">click here</a> (format: Excel, 20K). </p> <p><em>Source: <a href="http://www.ethnologue.com/">www.ethnologue.com</a></em> </p> <h2 class="right">Sample Arabic text (unvocalised)</h2> <p class="right"><img src="../images/langsamples/udhr_arabic.gif" width="578" height="95" alt="Sample text in Arabic (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)" /> </p> <h2 class="right">Sample Arabic text (vocalised)</h2> <p class="right"><img src="../images/langsamples/udhr_arabic2.gif" width="578" height="102" alt="Sample text in Arabic (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)" /> </p> <h3>Transliteration</h3> <p>Yūladu jamī'u n-nāsi aḥrāran mutasāwīna fī l-karāmati wa-l-ḥuqūq. Wa-qad wuhibū 'aqlan wa-ḍamīran wa-'alayhim an yu'āmila ba'ḍuhum ba'ḍan bi-rūḥi l-ikhā'. </p> <p><a href="../soundfiles/udhr/udhr_ar.mp3">Listen to a recording of this text by <span dir="rtl" lang="ar">زين العابدين شبيب</span> (Zein Al-A'bideen Shabeeb)</a> </p> <p><audio controls> <source src="../soundfiles/udhr/udhr_ar.mp3" type="audio/mpeg"/> <embed height="50" width="100" src="../soundfiles/udhr/udhr_ar.mp3"/> </audio> </p> <h3>Translation</h3> <p>All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. <br /> <em>(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)</em> </p> <h2>Sample videos in and about Modern Standard Arabic</h2> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i6BZgXDcQJs" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <div class="intrinsic-container intrinsic-container-16x9"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PWMnrYvGaiQ" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> <p class="info"><a href="/writing/arabic.htm">Information about Arabic</a> | <a href="/language/phrases/arabic.php">Phrases</a> | <a href="/language/numbers/arabic.htm">Numbers</a> | <a href="/babel/arabic.htm">Tower of Babel</a> | <a href="/language/articles/index.htm#ar">Articles</a> | <a href="/links/arabic.php">Links</a> | Arabic courses on: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=omniglot-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=478cba67ae78a8e786b051b2e949c4b3&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=books&keywords=Arabic">Amazon.com</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=omniglot-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=8dd9524434c11d7cd6e33a94542309cf&camp=1634&creative=6738&index=books&keywords=Arabic">Amazon.co.uk</a> [affilate links]</p> <h2>Links</h2> <p>Online Arabic lessons<br /> <a href="http://mylanguages.org/learn_arabic.php">http://mylanguages.org/learn_arabic.php</a><br /> <a href="http://ilovelanguages.org/arabic.php">http://ilovelanguages.org/arabic.php</a><br /> <a href="http://lingohut.com/en/l69/learn-arabic">http://lingohut.com/en/l69/learn-arabic</a><br /> <a href="http://www.madinaharabic.com/">http://www.madinaharabic.com</a><br /> <a href="http://arabicspeaker.blogspot.com/">http://arabicspeaker.blogspot.com</a><br /> <a href="http://www.dalilusa.com/arabic_course/intro.asp">http://www.dalilusa.com/arabic_course/intro.asp</a><br /> <a href="http://www.learnarabic.com/">http://www.learnarabic.com</a><br /> <a href="http://www.arabicpod101.com/member/go.php?r=101102&i=b0">http://www.arabicpod101.com/</a><br /> <a href="https://learn.talkinarabic.com/partners/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_17_3_12" target="_blank">Talk In Arabic</a> (affiliate link)</p> <p>- <a href="http://www.arabicpod101.com/member/go.php?r=101102&i=b0" rel="nofollow">Learn Arabic online with ArabicPod101</a> </p> <p>- <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_15_3_3" target="_blank">TalkInArabic.com</a> - learn colloquial Arabic of <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_15_3_3" target="_blank">Algeria</a>, <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_9_3_4" target="_blank">Egypt</a>, <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_11_3_5" target="_blank">Iraq</a>, <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_10_3_6" target="_blank">the Levant</a>, <a href="https://learn.talkinarabic.com/partners/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_16_3_7" target="_blank">Morocco</a>, <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_13_3_8" target="_blank">Saudi Arabia</a>, <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_12_3_9" target="_blank"Sudan</a> or <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_14_3_10" target="_blank">Tunisia</a><br /> <a href="https://aff.talkinarabic.com/idevaffiliate.php?id=110_17_3_12" target="_blank"><img style="border:0px" src="http://learn.talkinarabic.com/partners/media/banners/TIA-468x60.jpg" width="468" height="60" alt="Learn Arabic Online"></a> </p> <p class="rightfloat"><a href="https://www.tkqlhce.com/click-2591325-15012555" target="_top"> <img src="https://www.awltovhc.com/image-2591325-15012555" width="200" height="200" alt="Learn Arabic Online with Rocket Languages" /></a> </p> <p>- <a href="http://www.earabiclearning.com/learn-arabic-online/arabic-online-conversation-course?affiliate_user_id=21">eArabic Learning - Learn Arabic Online with Live Teachers</a> </p> <p> - <a href="https://ai.glossika.com/r/omniglot/learn-arabic-standard">Learn Arabic with Glossika</a><br /> - <a href="https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-2591325-12142603" target="_top">Learn Arabic now at Rocket Languages!</a><img src="https://www.awltovhc.com/image-2591325-12142603" width="1" height="1" /><br /> - <a href="https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?ii=335482&c=ib&aff=87316&cl=85870" target="ejejcsingle" rel="nofollow">Arabic Genie</a> - a quick and easy way to learn the Arabic alphabet </p> <p><br /> <a href="https://languatalk.com/arabic-tutors-online?via=omniglot">Find Arabic Tutors with LanguaTalk</a> </p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&tag=omniglot-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=b08f384852c9f132503ed1be83c478d3&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=books&keywords=Arabic%20language">Arabic courses and other resources available on Amazon</a><img src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=omniglot-20&l=ur2&o=1" width="1" height="1" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> </p><p><a href="../links/arabic.php">More Arabic-related links</a> </p> <p>How to read handwritten Arabic<br /> <a href="https://autolingual.com/handwritten-arabic/">https://autolingual.com/handwritten-arabic/</a> </p> <h2>Varieties of Arabic</h2> <p> <a href="/writing/arabic_algerian.htm">Algerian</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_bedawi.htm">Bedawi</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_chadian.htm">Chadian</a>, <a href="/writing/cypriotarabic.htm">Cypriot</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_egypt.htm">Egyptian</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_gulf.htm">Gulf</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hassaniya.htm">Hassaniya</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hejazi.htm">Hejazi</a>, <a href="/writing/lebanese.htm">Lebanese</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_libyan.htm">Libyan</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic.htm">Modern Standard</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_moroccan.htm">Moroccan</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_najdi.htm">Najdi</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_sudanese.htm">Sudanese</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_syrian.htm">Syrian</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_tunisian.htm">Tunisian</a></p> <h2>Semitic languages</h2> <p><a href="/writing/akkadian.htm">Akkadian</a>, <a href="/writing/amharic.htm">Amharic</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_algerian.htm">Arabic (Algerian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_bedawi.htm">Arabic (Bedawi)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_chadian.htm">Arabic (Chadian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_egypt.htm">Arabic (Egyptian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_gulf.htm">Arabic (Gulf)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hassaniya.htm">Arabic (Hassaniya)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hejazi.htm">Arabic (Hejazi)</a>, <a href="/writing/lebanese.htm">Arabic (Lebanese)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic.htm">Arabic (Modern Standard)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_moroccan.htm">Arabic (Moroccan)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_najdi.htm">Arabic (Najdi)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_sudanese.htm">Arabic (Sudanese)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_syrian.htm">Arabic (Syrian)</a>, <a href="/writing/aramaic.htm">Aramaic</a>, <a href="/writing/argobba.htm">Argobba</a>, <a href="/writing/assyrianneoaramaic.htm">Assyrian / Neo-Assyrian</a>, <a href="/writing/protosinaitc.htm">Canaanite</a>, <a href="/writing/chaha.htm">Chaha</a>, <a href="/writing/chaldeanneoaramaic.htm">Chaldean Neo-Aramaic</a>, <a href="/writing/ethiopic.htm">Ge'ez</a>, <a href="/writing/southarabian.htm">Hadhramautic</a>, <a href="/writing/harari.htm">Harari</a>, <a href="/writing/hebrew.htm">Hebrew</a>, <a href="/writing/southarabian.htm">Himyaritic</a>, <a href="/writing/jewishneoaramaic.htm">Jewish Neo-Aramaic</a>, <a href="/writing/maltese.htm">Maltese</a>, <a href="/writing/mandaic.htm">Mandaic</a>, <a href="/writing/nabataean.htm">Nabataean</a>, <a href="/writing/neomandaic.htm">Neo-Mandaic</a>, <a href="/writing/phoenician.htm">Phoenician</a>, <a href="/writing/punic.htm">Punic</a>, <a href="/writing/southarabian.htm">Qatabanic</a>, <a href="/writing/sabaean.htm">Sabaean</a>, <a href="/writing/southarabian.htm">Sabaic</a>, <a href="/writing/silte.htm">Silt'e</a>, <a href="/writing/syriac.htm">Syriac</a>, <a href="/writing/tigre.htm">Tigre</a>, <a href="/writing/tigrinya.htm">Tigrinya</a>, <a href="/writing/turoyo.htm">Turoyo</a>, <a href="/writing/ugaritic.htm">Ugaritic</a>, <a href="/writing/westernneoaramaic.htm">Western Neo-Aramaic</a></p> <h2>Languages written with the Arabic script</h2> <p><a href="/writing/adamaua.htm">Adamaua Fulfulde</a>, <a href="/writing/afrikaans.htm">Afrikaans</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_algerian.htm">Arabic (Algerian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_bedawi.htm">Arabic (Bedawi)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_chadian.htm">Arabic (Chadian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_egypt.htm">Arabic (Egyptian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_gulf.htm">Arabic (Gulf)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hassaniya.htm">Arabic (Hassaniya)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_hejazi.htm">Arabic (Hejazi)</a>, <a href="/writing/lebanese.htm">Arabic (Lebanese)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_libyan.htm">Arabic (Libyan)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic.htm">Arabic (Modern Standard)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_moroccan.htm">Arabic (Moroccan)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_najdi.htm">Arabic (Najdi)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_sudanese.htm">Arabic (Sudanese)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_syrian.htm">Arabic (Syrian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic_tunisian.htm">Arabic (Tunisian)</a>, <a href="/writing/arwi.htm">Arwi</a>, <a href="/writing/aynu.htm">Äynu</a>, <a href="/writing/azeri.htm">Azeri</a>, <a href="/writing/balantaganja.htm">Balanta-Ganja</a>, <a href="/writing/balti.htm">Balti</a>, <a href="/writing/baluchi.php">Baluchi</a>, <a href="/writing/beja.htm">Beja</a>, <a href="/writing/belarusian.htm">Belarusian</a>, <a href="/writing/bosnian.htm">Bosnian</a>, <a href="/writing/brahui.htm">Brahui</a>, <a href="/writing/chagatai.htm">Chagatai</a>, <a href="/writing/chechen.htm">Chechen</a>, <a href="/writing/chittagonian.htm">Chittagonian</a>, <a href="/writing/comorian.htm">Comorian</a>, <a href="/writing/crimeantatar.php">Crimean Tatar</a>, <a href="/writing/dargwa.htm">Dargwa</a>, <a href="/writing/dari.htm">Dari</a>, <a href="/writing/dhatki.htm">Dhatki</a>, <a href="/writing/dogri.htm">Dogri</a>, <a href="/writing/domari.htm">Domari</a>, <a href="/writing/gawarbati.htm">Gawar Bati</a>, <a href="/writing/gawri.htm">Gawri</a>, <a href="/writing/gilaki.htm">Gilaki</a>, <a href="/writing/hausa.htm">Hausa</a>, <a href="/writing/hazaragi.htm">Hazaragi</a>, <a href="/writing/hindko.htm">Hindko</a>, <a href="/writing/induskohistani.htm">Indus Kohistani</a>, <a href="/writing/kabyle.php">Kabyle</a>, <a href="/writing/kalkoti.htm">Kalkoti</a>, <a href="/writing/karakalpak.php">Karakalpak</a>, <a href="/writing/kashmiri.htm">Kashmiri</a>, <a href="/writing/kazakh.htm">Kazakh</a>, <a href="/writing/khowar.htm">Khowar</a>, <a href="/writing/khorasaniturkic.htm">Khorasani Turkic</a>, <a href="/writing/chorasmian.htm">Khwarezmian</a>, <a href="/writing/konkani.htm">Konkani</a>, <a href="/writing/kumzari.htm">Kumzari</a>, <a href="/writing/kurdish.htm">Kurdish</a>, <a href="/writing/kirghiz.htm">Kyrgyz</a>, <a href="/writing/lezgi.htm">Lezgi</a>, <a href="/writing/lop.htm">Lop</a>, <a href="/writing/luri.htm">Luri</a>, <a href="/writing/maguindanao.htm">Maguindanao</a>, <a href="/writing/malay.htm">Malay</a>, <a href="/writing/terengganumalay.htm">Malay (Terengganu)</a>, <a href="/writing/mandinka.htm">Mandinka</a>, <a href="/writing/marwari.htm">Marwari</a>, <a href="/writing/mazandarani.htm">Mazandarani</a>, <a href="/writing/mogholi.htm">Mogholi</a>, <a href="/writing/aljamiado.htm">Morisco</a>, <a href="/writing/mozarabic.htm">Mozarabic</a>, <a href="/writing/munji.htm">Munji</a>, <a href="/writing/noakhailla.htm">Noakhailla</a>, <a href="/writing/nubi.htm">Nubi</a>, <a href="/writing/ormuri.htm">Ormuri</a>, <a href="/writing/palula.htm">Palula</a>, <a href="/writing/parkari.htm">Parkari Koli</a>, <a href="/writing/pashto.htm">Pashto</a>, <a href="/writing/persian.htm">Persian/Farsi</a>, <a href="/writing/punjabi.htm">Punjabi</a>, <a href="/writing/qashqai.htm">Qashqai</a>, <a href="/writing/rajasthani.htm">Rajasthani</a>, <a href="/writing/rohingya.htm">Rohingya</a>, <a href="/writing/salar.htm">Salar</a>, <a href="/writing/saraiki.htm">Saraiki</a>, <a href="/writing/sawi.htm">Sawi</a>, <a href="/writing/serer.htm">Serer</a>, <a href="/writing/shabaki.php">Shabaki</a>, <a href="/writing/shina.htm">Shina</a>, <a href="/writing/shughni.htm">Shughni</a>, <a href="/writing/sindhi.htm">Sindhi</a>, <a href="/writing/somali.htm">Somali</a>, <a href="/writing/soninke.htm">Soninke</a>, <a href="/writing/tatar.htm">Tatar</a>, <a href="/writing/tausug.htm">Tausūg</a>, <a href="/writing/tawallammattamajaq.htm">Tawallammat Tamajaq</a>, <a href="/writing/tayarttamajeq.htm">Tayart Tamajeq</a>, <a href="/writing/ternate.htm">Ternate</a>, <a href="/writing/torwali.htm">Torwali</a>, <a href="/writing/turkish.htm">Turkish</a>, <a href="/writing/urdu.htm">Urdu</a>, <a href="/writing/uyghur.htm">Uyghur</a>, <a href="/writing/uzbek.htm">Uzbek</a>, <a href="/writing/wakhi.php">Wakhi</a>, <a href="/writing/wanetsi.htm">Wanetsi</a>, <a href="/writing/wolof.htm">Wolof</a>, <a href="/chinese/xiaoerjing.htm">Xiao'erjing</a>, <a href="/writing/yidgha.htm">Yidgha</a></p> <h2><a href="/writing/abjads.htm">Consonant alphabets (Abjads)</a></h2> <p><a href="/writing/berber.htm">Ancient Berber</a>, <a href="/writing/arabic.htm">Arabic</a>, <a href="/writing/aramaic.htm">Aramaic</a>, <a href="/writing/chorasmian.htm">Chorasmian</a>, <a href="/writing/elymaic.htm">Elymaic</a>, <a href="/writing/hatran.htm">Hatran</a>, <a href="/writing/hebrew.htm">Hebrew</a>, <a href="/writing/manichaean.php">Manichaean</a>, <a href="/writing/nabataean.htm">Nabataean</a>, <a href="/writing/northarabian.htm">North Arabian</a>, <a href="/writing/mpersian.htm">Pahlavi</a>, <a href="/writing/palmyrene.htm">Palmyrene</a>, <a href="/writing/parthian.htm">Parthian</a>, <a href="/writing/phoenician.htm">Phoenician</a>, <a href="/writing/paleohebrew.htm">Paleo-Hebrew</a>, <a href="/writing/protosinaitc.htm">Proto-Sinaitic / Proto-Canaanite</a>, <a href="/writing/psalter.htm">Psalter</a>, <a href="/writing/punic.htm">Punic</a>, <a href="/writing/sabaean.htm">Sabaean</a>, <a href="/writing/samaritan.htm">Samaritan</a>, <a href="/writing/sogdian.htm">Sogdian</a>, <a href="/writing/southarabian.htm">South Arabian</a>, <a href="/writing/syriac.htm">Syriac</a>, <a href="/writing/tifinagh.htm">Tifinagh</a>, <a href="/writing/ugaritic.htm">Ugaritic</a></p> <p><a href="/writing/index.htm">Other writing systems</a> </p> <p><em>Page last modified: 15.03.23</em> </p> <p class="right"><script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdnjs.buymeacoffee.com/1.0.0/button.prod.min.js" data-name="bmc-button" data-slug="omniglot" data-color="#FFDD00" data-emoji="" data-font="Cookie" data-text="Buy me a coffee" data-outline-color="#000000" data-font-color="#000000" data-coffee-color="#ffffff"></script> </p> <p class="right">[<a href="#top">top</a>] </p> <hr /> <div id="ezoic-pub-ad-placeholder-171"></div> <script> ezstandalone.cmd.push(function() { ezstandalone.showAds(171); }); </script> <p><a href="http://my.kualo.com/uk/go/00572"><img src="https://images.kualo.com/rewards/greenhosting-light.gif" width="162" height="62" class="rightfloat" alt="Green Web Hosting - Kualo"/></a> </p> <p>You can support this 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