How Arabic is written

Arabic is written and read from right to left. The alphabet has 28 letters, and the Quran is written with the same letters you will learn here, so every letter brings you closer to reading it yourself.

Three things to know first

• The letters are mostly consonants. Short vowels are small marks above or below the letters, and the Quran always shows them.
• The letters of a word join each other, so most letters change shape slightly at the start, middle or end of a word.
• There are no capital letters. Many letters share the same basic shape and are told apart only by their dots.

How to use this course

Work through the units in order. Each lesson takes about ten minutes and ends with a short practice. A little every day works better than a lot once a week.