Arabic Alphabet and Vocalization (Harakat)

The Arabic language is one of the world’s most widely spoken languages, serving as the liturgical language of over 1.8 billion Muslims and as a national language in 22 countries. The Qimiyah examination requires candidates to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and understanding Arabic, particularly as it relates to Islamic religious texts. This first topic covers the foundational building blocks of Arabic: the alphabet, the shape variations of letters, and the system of vocalization (harakat) that gives Arabic its distinctive pronunciation.

The Arabic Alphabet (Al-Huruf al-Arabiyyah)

The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters (some scholars count 29 including the hamza as a separate letter). Unlike the Latin alphabet, Arabic is written from right to left. Each letter has between 2 and 4 different forms depending on whether it appears at the beginning, middle, or end of a word, or in isolation.

The 28 Arabic Letters in Order

The letters are traditionally memorized in their order (abjad order, similar to aleph-bet-gimel in Hebrew):

#	Letter	Name	Transliteration
1	ا	Alif	a/ā
2	ب	Ba	b
3	ت	Ta	t
4	ث	Tha	th
5	ج	Jim	j
6	ح	Ha	h
7	خ	Kha	kh
8	د	Dal	d
9	ذ	Dhal	dh
10	ر	Ra	r
11	ز	Zain	z
12	س	Sin	s
13	ش	Shin	sh
14	ص	Sad	s (emphatic)
15	ض	Dad	d (emphatic)
16	ط	Ta	t (emphatic)
17	ظ	Dha	dh (emphatic)
18	ع	Ain	(a glottal stop/certain sound)
19	غ	Ghain	gh
20	ف	Fa	f
21	ق	Qaf	q
22	ك	Kaf	k
23	ل	Lam	l
24	م	Mim	m
25	ن	Nun	n
26	ه	Ha	h
27	و	Waw	w/ū
28	ي	Ya	y/ī

Letter Forms: Initial, Medial, Final, and Isolated

Arabic letters change their shape depending on their position in a word:

• Isolated form: The letter written alone
• Initial form (beginning of word): The letter connected to the following letter
• Medial form (middle of word): The letter connected on both sides
• Final form (end of word): The letter connected from the left to the preceding letter

Not all letters connect to the letter before them. The letters Alif, Dal, Dhal, Ra, Zain, and Sha (ظ ر ز د ذ و) do not connect to subsequent letters — when these letters appear in the middle of a word, a gap appears between them and the following letter.

Harakat (Vocalization): The Short Vowels

Arabic has a system of diacritical marks (harakat) placed above or below letters to indicate short vowel sounds. These marks are essential for correct pronunciation and meaning.

The Three Short Vowels

1. FatHa (فتحة) — a small diagonal stroke above a letter → sounds like “a” as in “cat”

   • Symbol: فتحة
   • Example: بَ (ba)

2. Kasra (كسرة) — a small diagonal stroke below a letter → sounds like “i” as in “bit”

   • Symbol: كسرة
   • Example: بِ (bi)

3. Damma (ضمة) — a small curl above a letter → sounds like “u” as in “put”

   • Symbol: ضمة
   • Example: بُ (bu)

The Sukun (سكون)

Sukun (سكون) — a small circle above a letter → indicates the absence of a vowel (the letter has no vowel sound attached).

• Symbol: سكون
• Example: بْ (b without a vowel — consonant only)

The Tanwin (تنوين)

Tanwin adds an “-n” sound at the end of a word and takes the form of the vowel:

• Tanwin al-Fatha (تنوين الفتح): ً → sounds like “an” or “am” (e.g., بً)
• Tanwin al-Kasra (تنوين الكسر): ٍ → sounds like “in” (e.g., بٍ)
• Tanwin al-Damma (تنوين الضم): ٌ → sounds like “un” (e.g., بٌ)

The Shadda (تشديد)

Shadda (شدة) — a small written “w” shape (ّ) above a letter → indicates that the letter is doubled (has a shaddah) and takes the vowel of the shaddah mark.

• Example: بَّ (b with shadda and fatḥa) = “ba” with the “b” sound doubled
• Example: بُ (bu with shadda) = “bu” with the “b” sound doubled

The Hamza (همزة) and Its Writing

The hamza (ء) represents the glottal stop sound (the sound in the middle of “uh-oh”). It can be written on its own or on three carrier letters:

1. On Alif (ء): Only when the hamza is the first letter of a word and carries fatḥa or sukūn
2. On Waw (ؤ): When the hamza carries ḍamma
3. On Ya (ئ): When the hamza carries kasra

The Hamza Rules

• ءا (hamza on alif with fatḥa) = “a” sound
• ** ؤ** (hamza on waw with ḍamma) = “u” sound
• ئ (hamza on ya with kasra) = “i” sound

The Wasl (وصل) and Qat’ (قطع)

Wasl (وَصل) — the small alif (1) at the beginning of some words, which is only pronounced when the word is spoken alone or at the beginning of a sentence, but not pronounced when a word before it ends with a vowel (connected speech).

Qat’ (قطع) — the separation of words in pronunciation, indicated by the presence of a hamza at the beginning rather than wasl.

The Moon and Sun Letters (Huruf al-Qamariyyah wal-Shamsiyyah)

Arabic letters are classified into two groups based on how they interact with the definite article “al-” (ال):

Sun Letters (Huruf al-Shamsiyyah) — 14 letters

When the definite article الـ (al-) precedes a sun letter, the lam (ل) of al- is not pronounced and is instead assimilated into the following sun letter:

• ت ث ج ر س ش ص ض ط ظ ن ذ د ز س

Example: ash-shamsu (the sun) — not “al-shamsu”

Moon Letters (Huruf al-Qamariyyah) — 14 letters

When al- precedes a moon letter, the lam is fully pronounced:

• ا ب غ ح خ ع ف ق ك م ه و ي

Example: al-qamaru (the moon) — the lam is pronounced

Key Facts for Qimiyah Examination

• 28 Arabic letters in the alphabet; written right to left
• Harakat (short vowels): Fatḥa (a), Kasra (i), Damma (u), Sukun (no vowel)
• Tanwin: an/in/un endings for indefinite nouns
• Shadda: letter doubling
• Sun letters (14): lam of al- not pronounced; Moon letters (14): lam fully pronounced
• Hamza on alif, waw, or ya depending on the vowel
• ⚡ Exam tip: The sun/moon letter distinction is crucial for reading Quranic text and for correct pronunciation in prayer. Know the 14 sun letters by heart.

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🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.

• 28 Arabic letters — each has 2–4 forms depending on position
• Short vowels: Fatḥa = a (above), Kasra = i (below), Damma = u (above circle)
• Sukun: No vowel; Tanwin: an/in/un; Shadda: letter doubled
• 14 Sun letters: ت ث ج ر س ش ص ض ط ظ ن ذ د ز — lam of al- assimilated
• 14 Moon letters: ا ب غ ح خ ع ف ق ك م ه و ي — lam fully pronounced
• Hamza: On alif, waw, or ya depending on vowel
• ⚡ Exam tip: Sun letters are the ones that have dots (ت ث ج ن); all sun letters except ra (ر) and nun (ن) have distinct sun-letter identity

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Standard content for students with a few days to months.

The Arabic Diacritical Marks (Tashkil)

Beyond harakat, Arabic uses additional diacritical marks for specialized pronunciation:

The Hamzat al-Wasl (همزة الوصل)

The hamzat al-wasl is a small alif (ۡ) that begins certain words. It is pronounced when the word begins a sentence or stands alone, but in connected speech, it is dropped and the first letter takes a shaddah.

Example: اِسْمٌ (ismun - “a name”) — the alif of ism is a hamzat al-wasl.

The Maddah (مدّة)

The maddah (ـًـ) — a combination of hamza and alif placed above a letter — indicates an elongated hamza sound (a lengthening of approximately 1.5 harakah). It appears primarily over alif following hamza.

Example: آ (ā) — the long “a” sound as in “father”

The Hamzat al-Qat’

This is the normal hamza (ء) that always begins a word and is always pronounced.

Reading Practice: From Letters to Words

Arabic words are read from right to left. Each letter takes its appropriate form based on its position.

Example word analysis: كِتَابٌ (kitaabun — “a book”)

• ك (kaf, initial form) + ت (ta, medial form) + ا (alif, final form) + ب (ba, final form)
• كِ = ki (kaf with kasra)
• تَ = ta (ta with fatha) + ا (connecting)
• اب = ba (ba with fatha) — the ba connects leftward but not rightward, so isolated from ت
• نْ = nun with sukun (nun with no vowel)
• ٌ = tanwin al-damma (the nun-sound at the end)

The word: “kitaabun” meaning “a book” (indefinite)

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Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

Phonetic Characteristics of Arabic Letters

The Emphatic Letters (Huruf al-Tafkhim)

Arabic has six emphatic (heavy/pharyngealized) letters that affect the pronunciation of surrounding letters: ص ض ط ظ غ ق. These letters involve constriction of the pharynx, giving the voice a “heavy” quality. When these letters appear in a word, adjacent letters may take on a partially emphatic quality.

The Glottal Stop: Ain and Hamza

The Ain (ع) is one of the most difficult Arabic letters for non-native speakers. It involves a constriction of the glottis. The Hamza (ء) is a simpler glottal stop. Many students confuse these two letters.

Key difference: Hamza is a simple glottal stop with no additional phonetic quality. Ain involves the same glottal stop PLUS pharyngeal constriction — it is one of the most emphasized letters in Arabic.

Historical Development of the Arabic Script

The Arabic script evolved from the Nabatean script, which itself derived from Aramaic. The script was standardized during the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates. The Qur’an was standardized in the form known as Uthmani (after Caliph Uthman ibn Affan), which preserved specific letter forms and vocalization conventions specific to the Qur’an.

The Arabic script has been adapted for many other languages including Persian, Urdu, Pashto, Sindhi, and others — each with additional letters to represent sounds not present in Arabic.

Tajweed: Rules of Quranic Recitation (Preview)

While detailed Tajweed rules are covered in Topic 4, the basics of letter pronunciation begin here. Every Arabic letter has a makhraj (point of articulation — where in the mouth or throat the sound is produced) and a sifat (quality — how the sound is produced). Mastery of the individual letter sounds is the foundation of proper Quranic recitation.

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