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Arabic Reading and Writing Basics

In addition to the Arabic language, the Arabic writing system is also used for the Urdu (mainly Pakistan) and Persian (Iran) languages, among others. Urdu and Persian have more letters than Arabic. So once you can read one, learning to read other languages becomes easier.

Arabic uses many dots, and symbols above and below. The Arabic writing system is "cursive", so most letters in words are connected to each other. Therefore, most Arabic letters have a beginning form, a middle form, an end form, and an isolated form. For most shapes most forms resemble each other, making them easier to recognize.

The Basics

• Arabic is written from right to left down pages, like so:
  

<-------- Writing begins here


Writing ends here <-----------------

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Shapes vs. Letters

• Many Arabic shapes end in tails.
• Tails can only be seen in isolated-form and end-form.
• The most important part of a shape is the part ignoring the tail, This part is called the shape-essence.
• Recall: A letter is a shape plus a number of dots.
• Dots are either placed above or below a shape, to make a letter.
• Placement of dots matters (Possible placements: over OR under the shape) .
• Number of dots matters.

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Dotting

• In most printing
  • 3 dots are grouped into a triangle
  • 2 dots are written side by side
  • dots appear as diamond shapes, or square shapes, or circles.

• In fast writing by hand by experienced Arabs
  • 3 dots is written in such a way: ^
  • 2 dots are written as a dash - or somewhat like a tilde ~ (except it's mirrored horizontally)
  • Other shortcuts are used.

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Other Variations

• Dots are sometimes written as hollow circles on childish hand-made posters.

• The placement of dots (such: in a diagonal line, in a vertical line, in a triangle) do not make different letters (i.e.: it doesn't matter), and variation in placement of dots is used in fancy fonts.