Unit 1 · Lesson 6
Letter shapes
How letters join in a word
Most letters have four shapes: on their own, at the start of a word, in the middle and at the end. The core of the letter stays the same; mostly the tail changes so it can join the next letter.
| On its own | ب |
| At the start | بـ |
| In the middle | ـبـ |
| At the end | ـب |
Six letters that never join forward
These six letters join the letter before them, but never the letter after. The letter that follows one of them starts afresh, in its starting shape.
Lām-alif
When lām is followed by alif, the two are written as one shape: لا. You will see it in very common words such as لَا (lā, no).
PRACTICE
Tap an answer to check yourself.
How many letters never join the letter after them?
Which two letters make this shape?
لا
Which of these letters never joins the next one?