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You need to use the number of dots and their position (above or below the body)

ب ت ث

ج ح خ

د ذ

ر ز

س ش

ص ض

ط ظ

ع غ

They look similar, but Waw has a tiny loop at the top

ط ظ ك ل

ك

ا د ذ ر ز و ء

It’s more like handwriting because all the letters in a word are connected in a string, except for the 7 that don’t connect.

We join the letters in an Arabic word like we do in English cursive. So a letter will look different depending on whether it’s at the front of the word, the middle, or the end. Plus, if the letter before does not connect and we’re at the end of the word, then the letter has nothing before it and nothing after it to connect to; so it will be written by itself. That’s the fourth case.

Well, yes. There are different styles of calligraphy, and there are very slight variations in the way a letter is written from person to person and from region to region. But, generally, there is only one way to write Arabic.

The letters س and ش have 3 ticks each. This might be confused for a sequence of ب ت ث, like in بيثتا.

3

They are marks placed on top or underneath the letter. If a letter has a vowel on top or underneath it, it means that letter is followed by that vowel.

Never. Arabic only has the following types of syllables. And none of these allow speech to start with a non-vowelled consonant.

There are 3 long vowels in Arabic. These are letters in the alphabet – namely Aleph, Waw and Yaa – that have the potential to come after a short vowel and lengthen it. Aleph lengthens a Fatha, Waw lengthens a Damma and Yaa lengthens a Kasra.

Well, no. Waw and Yaa can function as diphthongs (or semi-vowels)

Well, if it has a vowel, it is functioning as a consonant. If it is Saakin and it has a Fatha before it, it is functioning as a diphthong. And if it is Saakin and has a vowel before it appropriate to it (Damma for Waw and Kasra for Yaa), then it is acting as a long vowel.

1.     a Hamza can appear by itself (ء)

2.     on top of an Aleph (أ)

3.     underneath an Aleph (إ)

4.     on top of a Waw (ؤ)

5.     on top of a Yaa with no dots (ئ)

If it has a Hamza on top, then this letter is actually a Hamza. And if it does not have a Hamza, then it is actually an Aleph (but this can only happen at the end of a word).

This is a Taa. It is written like this only when it’s at the end of a word. But not all Taa at the end of a word are written like this; this one is special and it indicates femininity. It is pronounced like a Taa if you continue speaking, and like a Haa if you stop your breath on it.

There are 3. The first is Daal, the second is Baa, and the third is again Baa. The Shadda on the Baa indicates that there are two Baas.

It is a Kasra. Remember that the vowel on a letter that has a Shadda is written on top or underneath the Shadda, not the letter (in most styles of writing).

You begin with the loop, starting from the bottom left.

You begin with the loop, starting from the bottom left.

No. Drawing the line of the ط is like crossing a T; you do it when you’re done writing the whole word.