Arabic Alphabet Part 1: Letters ا–ص
Practice the names, sounds, and connection rules for the first fourteen Arabic letters as pronounced in Egyptian Arabic.
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Questions Covered in This Set
10 cards to master
How many letters does the Arabic alphabet have, and in which direction do you read?
28 letters, read right to left.
Name the six non-connector letters.
ا د ذ ر ز و (alif, daal, dhaal, raa, zaay, waaw) — they never connect to the letter that follows.
How do ب ت ث differ from each other?
Same 'bathtub' skeleton: ب one dot below, ت two dots above, ث three dots above.
How is ج pronounced in Cairo?
A hard g as in 'go' — جديد is gidiid, جميل is gamiil (not 'j').
What sound is خ?
The kh of Scottish 'loch' — a raspy sound from the back of the mouth.
What is ح?
Haa — a breathy H produced from the throat (deeper than English h).
How do Egyptians usually pronounce ث and ذ?
ث becomes t (or s in bookish words); ذ becomes d (or z).
What makes ص an 'emphatic' letter?
It's pronounced with the tongue pulled back toward the throat, giving a dark, heavy syllable: سيف seef (sword) vs صيف Seef (summer).
Which letters share the shape of a curl with a belly dipping below the line?
ج ح خ — differing only by dot placement (dot below, no dot, dot above).
Trace the shapes in صباح (SabaaH).
صـ initial Saad, ـبـ medial baa, ـا alif (connects before, not after), ح final Haa standing free.
