The Arabic Alphabet: All 28 Letters
Their four forms, their point of articulation, their characteristics, and how often each one appears in the Quran.
The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, written from right to left. Most change shape with their place in the word: isolated, initial, medial, final. Six never join the letter after them: ا د ذ ر ز و. In the Quran, the most frequent is ا (alif) (52,655 times) and the rarest ظ (ẓā) (853 times).
The 28 letters, from alif to ya
| Letter | Name | Isolated · initial · medial · final | From | In the Quran |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | alif | ااـاـا | Al-jawf | 52,655 |
| ب | bā | ببــبــب | Ash-shafatan | 11,491 |
| ت | tā | تتــتــت | Al-lisan | 10,520 |
| ث | thā | ثثــثــث | Al-lisan | 1,414 |
| ج | jīm | ججــجــج | Al-lisan | 3,317 |
| ح | ḥā | ححــحــح | Al-halq | 4,140 |
| خ | khā | خخــخــخ | Al-halq | 2,497 |
| د | dāl | ددـدـد | Al-lisan | 5,991 |
| ذ | dhāl | ذذـذـذ | Al-lisan | 4,932 |
| ر | rā | ررـرـر | Al-lisan | 12,403 |
| ز | zāy | ززـزـز | Al-lisan | 1,599 |
| س | sīn | سســســس | Al-lisan | 6,010 |
| ش | shīn | ششــشــش | Al-lisan | 2,124 |
| ص | ṣād | صصــصــص | Al-lisan | 2,074 |
| ض | ḍād | ضضــضــض | Al-lisan | 1,686 |
| ط | ṭā | ططــطــط | Al-lisan | 1,273 |
| ظ | ẓā | ظظــظــظ | Al-lisan | 853 |
| ع | ʿayn | ععــعــع | Al-halq | 9,405 |
| غ | ghayn | غغــغــغ | Al-halq | 1,221 |
| ف | fā | ففــفــف | Ash-shafatan | 8,747 |
| ق | qāf | ققــقــق | Al-lisan | 7,034 |
| ك | kāf | ككــكــك | Al-lisan | 10,497 |
| ل | lām | للــلــل | Al-lisan | 38,102 |
| م | mīm | ممــمــم | Ash-shafatan | 26,735 |
| ن | nūn | ننــنــن | Al-lisan | 27,268 |
| ه | hā | ههــهــه | Al-halq | 14,850 |
| و | wāw | ووـوـو | Ash-shafatan | 25,676 |
| ي | yā | ييــيــي | Al-lisan | 25,746 |
Letters that join, letters that do not
22 letters join on both sides: they have four forms, depending on whether they stand alone or come at the start, middle or end of a word.
Six letters join only the letter before them: ا د ذ ر ز و. After them, the word starts again with a separate letter, even in the middle of the word.
Vowels are not letters: they are small signs placed on the letters. They have their own lessons, below.
Where the letters come from: five areas
Ibn al-Jazari counts 17 points of articulation (makharij), grouped into five areas; other counts exist. The drawing shows the mouth, throat and nose from the side: tap an area or a point to see where each letter comes from.
Which point?
Tap the drawing or a letter in the list: its point of articulation lights up.
The five areas
The 17 points of articulation, area by area
The empty space (al-jawf)ا و ي
- Where
- the empty space of the mouth and throat; the voice stretches there, with no precise point
The long-vowel letters come from the empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf), with no precise point: alif (ا), always vowelless after a fatha, wāw (و) without a vowel after a damma, yā (ي) without a vowel after a kasra.
Deepest part of the throatء ه
- Where
- the bottom of the throat, furthest from the mouth
The deepest part of the throat: hamza (ء) and hā (ه).
Middle of the throatح ع
- Where
- the middle of the throat
The middle of the throat: ḥā (ح) and ʿayn (ع).
Top of the throatخ غ
- Where
- the top of the throat, nearest the mouth
The top of the throat, nearest the mouth: khā (خ) and ghayn (غ).
Back of the tongue, throat sideق
- What moves
- the back of the tongue
- Against
- the soft palate, above it
Qāf (ق): the back of the tongue, on the throat side, against the palate above it.
Back of the tongue, a little further forwardك
- What moves
- the back of the tongue, a little nearer the mouth
- Against
- the palate, just in front of the place of qāf
Kāf (ك): the back of the tongue, a little further forward than qāf, against the palate above it.
Middle of the tongueج ش ي
- What moves
- the middle of the tongue
- Against
- the hard palate, above it
The middle of the tongue against the palate above it: jīm (ج), shīn (ش), and yā (ي) when it is not a long-vowel letter.
Side of the tongueض
- What moves
- one side of the tongue, or both
- Against
- the upper molars
Ḍād (ض): one side of the tongue, or both, against the upper molars.
Front of the sides and the tipل
- What moves
- the front of the sides of the tongue, up to the tip
- Against
- the gums of the upper teeth
Lām (ل): the front of the sides of the tongue up to its tip, against the gums of the upper teeth, at the front of the mouth.
Tip of the tongueن
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- the gum of the two upper front teeth
Nūn (ن): the tip of the tongue against the gum of the two upper front teeth, slightly below the place of lām.
Tip and a little of the topر
- What moves
- the tip, with a little of the top of the tongue
- Against
- the gum of the upper front teeth
Rā (ر): the tip of the tongue with a little of its upper side, against the gum of the upper front teeth, very close to the place of nūn.
Tip, at the roots of the teethت د ط
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- the roots of the two upper front teeth
The tip of the tongue against the roots of the two upper front teeth: tā (ت), dāl (د) and ṭā (ط).
Tip, just above the lower teethز س ص
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- just above the two lower front teeth
The tip of the tongue just above the two lower front teeth: zāy (ز), sīn (س) and ṣād (ص).
Tip, at the edges of the teethث ذ ظ
- What moves
- the tip of the tongue
- Against
- the edges of the two upper front teeth
The tip of the tongue against the edges of the two upper front teeth: thā (ث), dhāl (ذ) and ẓā (ظ).
Lower lip and upper teethف
- What moves
- the inside of the lower lip
- Against
- the edges of the two upper front teeth
Fā (ف): the inside of the lower lip against the edges of the two upper front teeth.
Both lipsب م و
- What moves
- both lips
- How
- closed for ب and م, rounded without closing for و
Both lips: bā (ب) and mīm (م) by closing them, and wāw (و), when it is not a long-vowel letter, by rounding them without closing.
The nose (al-khayshum)ن م
- Where
- the nasal passage, where the air of the ghunnah flows
The nasal passage (al-khayshum): the ghunnah, the nasal sound that goes with nūn (ن) and mīm (م).
Al-jawfا و ي
Al-jawf: the empty space inside the mouth and throat.
Al-halqء ه ح ع خ غ
Al-halq: the throat, at three places, from the deepest to the nearest to the mouth.
Al-lisanق ك ج ش ي ض ل ن ر ت د ط ز س ص ث ذ ظ
Al-lisan: the tongue, with the palate, teeth and gums facing it. Ten points, where most letters come from.
Ash-shafatanف ب م و
Ash-shafatan: the two lips, at two points.
Al-khayshumن م
Al-khayshum: the nasal passage, where the ghunnah, the nasal sound of nūn and mīm, comes from.
1. Al-jawf
-
The long-vowel letters come from the empty space of the mouth and throat (al-jawf), with no precise point: alif (ا), always vowelless after a fatha, wāw (و) without a vowel after a damma, yā (ي) without a vowel after a kasra.
2. Al-halq
-
The deepest part of the throat: hamza (ء) and hā (ه).
-
The middle of the throat: ḥā (ح) and ʿayn (ع).
-
The top of the throat, nearest the mouth: khā (خ) and ghayn (غ).
3. Al-lisan
-
Qāf (ق): the back of the tongue, on the throat side, against the palate above it.
-
Kāf (ك): the back of the tongue, a little further forward than qāf, against the palate above it.
-
The middle of the tongue against the palate above it: jīm (ج), shīn (ش), and yā (ي) when it is not a long-vowel letter.
-
Ḍād (ض): one side of the tongue, or both, against the upper molars.
-
Lām (ل): the front of the sides of the tongue up to its tip, against the gums of the upper teeth, at the front of the mouth.
-
Nūn (ن): the tip of the tongue against the gum of the two upper front teeth, slightly below the place of lām.
-
Rā (ر): the tip of the tongue with a little of its upper side, against the gum of the upper front teeth, very close to the place of nūn.
-
The tip of the tongue against the roots of the two upper front teeth: tā (ت), dāl (د) and ṭā (ط).
-
The tip of the tongue just above the two lower front teeth: zāy (ز), sīn (س) and ṣād (ص).
-
The tip of the tongue against the edges of the two upper front teeth: thā (ث), dhāl (ذ) and ẓā (ظ).
4. Ash-shafatan
-
Fā (ف): the inside of the lower lip against the edges of the two upper front teeth.
-
Both lips: bā (ب) and mīm (م) by closing them, and wāw (و), when it is not a long-vowel letter, by rounding them without closing.
5. Al-khayshum
Quiz: which letter is highlighted?
Each question shows a word of the Quran with one letter highlighted, in the form it takes in that word. Pick its name.
- Al-'Asr 103:3
بِٱلْحَقِّ
- Al-Kawthar 108:1
ٱلْكَوْثَرَ
- Al-'Asr 103:2
ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ
- Al-'Asr 103:1
وَٱلْعَصْرِ
- Al-Kawthar 108:2
فَصَلِّ
- Al-Kawthar 108:3
شَانِئَكَ
The characteristics of the letters (sifat)
Each letter has its characteristics, the way its sound comes out. Five groups of qualities come in opposites: each letter has one or the other (for the strength of the sound, three options: shiddah, tawassut or rakhāwah). Seven qualities have no opposite.
| Characteristic | What it means | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| Hamsالهمس | Al-hams (whisper): the breath keeps flowing as the letter is said. Ten letters: ت ث ح خ س ش ص ف ك ه. |
|
| Jahrالجهر | Al-jahr (voicing): the breath is held back as the letter is said. These are all the letters without hams. |
|
| Shiddahالشدّة | Ash-shiddah (strength): the sound stops completely at its point of articulation. Eight letters: ء ب ت ج د ط ق ك. |
|
| Tawassutالتوسّط | At-tawassut (in-between): the sound neither stops fully nor flows fully. Five letters: ر ع ل م ن. |
|
| Rakhawahالرخاوة | Ar-rakhawah (softness): the sound keeps flowing with the letter. These are the letters with neither shiddah nor tawassut. |
|
| Istiʿla’الاستعلاء | Al-istiʿla’ (elevation): the tongue rises toward the palate, and the letter comes out heavy. Seven letters: خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق. |
|
| Istifalالاستفال | Al-istifal (lowering): the tongue stays low, away from the palate. These are the letters without istiʿla’. |
|
| Itbaqالإطباق | Al-itbaq (adhesion): much of the tongue presses against the palate. Four letters: ص ض ط ظ. |
|
| Infitahالانفتاح | Al-infitah (openness): the tongue does not press against the palate; air passes between them. These are the letters without itbaq. |
|
| Idhlaqالإذلاق | Al-idhlaq (fluency): the letter is said with ease, from the tip of the tongue or the lips. Six letters: ب ر ف ل م ن. |
|
| Ismatالإصمات | Al-ismat (restraint): the opposite of idhlaq, the letter is not said with the same ease. These are the letters without idhlaq. |
|
| Safirالصفير | As-safir (whistling): a sharp, whistle-like sound goes with the letter. Three letters: ز س ص. |
|
| Qalqalahالقلقلة | With no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce. When qāf, ṭā, bā, jīm or dāl (ق ط ب ج د) has no vowel, or when you stop on it at the end of a word. |
|
| Leenاللين | Al-lin (softness): wāw (و) and yā (ي) without a vowel, after a fatha, are said without effort. |
|
| Inhirafالانحراف | Al-inhiraf (deviation): as it comes out, the sound leans from its point toward a nearby one. Two letters: ر ل. |
|
| Takrirالتكرير | At-takrir (repetition): the tongue tends to vibrate on rā (ر); in recitation, this vibration is held back. |
|
| Tafashshiالتفشّي | At-tafashshi (spreading): the air spreads through the mouth as shīn (ش) is said. |
|
| Istitalahالاستطالة | Al-istitalah (extension): the sound of ḍād (ض) stretches along the side of the tongue, from back to front. |
|
Heavy letters, light letters
Seven letters are always heavy, those of istiʿla’: خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق. Three are sometimes heavy, sometimes light: alif (ا), the lām (ل) of the name Allah, and rā (ر). All the other letters are light.
Letters that get confused
Eight groups of letters sound alike. What sets them apart: their point of articulation and their characteristics.
-
- ضḍād Ḍād (ض): one side of the tongue, or both, against the upper molars. · Rakhawah, Istiʿla’, Itbaq, Istitalah
- دdāl The tip of the tongue against the roots of the two upper front teeth: tā (ت), dāl (د) and ṭā (ط). · Shiddah, Istifal, Infitah, Qalqalah
- ظẓā The tip of the tongue against the edges of the two upper front teeth: thā (ث), dhāl (ذ) and ẓā (ظ). · Rakhawah, Istiʿla’, Itbaq
Reading the Quran, step by step
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Arabic alphabet?
Textbooks count 28 or 29 letters: in the count of 29, hamza is a letter of its own; in the count of 28, it is written alone or on a carrier.
Which letters do not join the next one?
Six letters: ا د ذ ر ز و. They join the letter before them, never the one after, so they only show two forms.
How do you know if a letter is heavy?
Seven letters are always heavy, those of istiʿla’: خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق. Three are sometimes heavy, sometimes light: alif (ا), the lām (ل) of the name Allah, and rā (ر). All the other letters are light.
Which letter appears most in the Quran?
ا (alif), with 52,655 occurrences in the Hafs text, all spellings counted. The rarest is ظ (ẓā) (853).
How can I check my reading when I learn without a teacher?
Read out loud in the Tilawa app: it follows your reading word by word and shows you the words to work on. The transliteration under each word helps you until you can read Arabic.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error