Arabic Script

The Arabic alphabet is usually presented with 28 basic letters.

It is an abjad, which means that consonants are central and short vowels are often not written in everyday text.

Arabic is written from right to left.

This is one of the first things learners notice when they start reading the script.

Many Arabic letters have different forms depending on whether they appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

This means learners do not just memorize one isolated shape for each letter.

Arabic script is used not only for Arabic, but also for languages such as Persian and Urdu, with some additional letters.

That makes it one of the most influential writing systems in the world.

Some letters look very similar and differ only by the number or position of dots.

Beginners should pay close attention to dot patterns.