Arabic Alphabets, Pronunciation and Writing for Primary 1

Arabic Alphabets, Pronunciation and Writing

Performance Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify Arabic Alphabets;
2. Pronounce Arabic Alphabets.

The Arabic language is very important for Muslims because the Holy Qur’an is written in Arabic. To read and understand the Qur’an, it is important to learn the Arabic alphabets, their sounds, and how to write them. These alphabets are the building blocks of the Arabic language.

Memory Verse

Learning the Arabic alphabets helps us to read the Qur’an. A very important verse that we say often is:

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

This is from Surah Al-Fatiha, Ayah 1.

Its meaning is: “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”

This verse reminds us to start everything good in the name of Allah.

Qur’an Reading: The Arabic Alphabets

The Arabic alphabets are the letters that make up the words in the Qur’an. Learning these letters is the first step to reading the Holy Book. Each letter has its own shape and sound. When we learn them, we can begin to read simple Arabic words and, insha’Allah, the Qur’an.

Identifying Arabic Alphabets

There are 28 main letters in the Arabic alphabet. Each letter has a unique shape. It is important to look at each letter carefully to recognise it. Knowing the shape of each letter helps in reading Arabic words.

The Arabic alphabets are:

1. ا (Alif)
2. ب (Ba)
3. ت (Ta)
4. ث (Tha)
5. ج (Jeem)
6. ح (Hha)
7. خ (Kha)
8. د (Dal)
9. ذ (Dhal)
10. ر (Ra)
11. ز (Zay)
12. س (Seen)
13. ش (Sheen)
14. ص (Saad)
15. ض (Daad)
16. ط (Tta)
17. ظ (Zha)
18. ع (Ain)
19. غ (Ghain)
20. ف (Fa)
21. ق (Qaf)
22. ك (Kaf)
23. ل (Lam)
24. م (Meem)
25. ن (Noon)
26. ه (Ha)
27. و (Waw)
28. ي (Ya)

Pronouncing Arabic Alphabets

Each Arabic letter has a specific sound. It is important to pronounce each letter clearly and correctly. Listening to a teacher or an audio recording helps to learn the correct sounds. Practice saying each letter aloud many times.

Here is how to pronounce each letter:

1. ا (Alif): Sounds like ‘a’ in ‘apple’ or ‘father’, depending on the vowel mark.
2. ب (Ba): Sounds like ‘b’ in ‘ball’.
3. ت (Ta): Sounds like ‘t’ in ‘tea’.
4. ث (Tha): Sounds like ‘th’ in ‘thin’ (soft ‘th’ sound).
5. ج (Jeem): Sounds like ‘j’ in ‘jam’.
6. ح (Hha): A strong ‘h’ sound from the back of the throat, not like ‘h’ in ‘hat’.
7. خ (Kha): A guttural sound, like ‘ch’ in Scottish ‘loch’.
8. د (Dal): Sounds like ‘d’ in ‘dog’.
9. ذ (Dhal): Sounds like ‘th’ in ‘this’ (hard ‘th’ sound).
10. ر (Ra): A rolled ‘r’ sound, like in some Spanish words.
11. ز (Zay): Sounds like ‘z’ in ‘zebra’.
12. س (Seen): Sounds like ‘s’ in ‘sun’.
13. ش (Sheen): Sounds like ‘sh’ in ‘shoe’.
14. ص (Saad): A heavy ‘s’ sound, made with the tongue raised.
15. ض (Daad): A heavy ‘d’ sound, also made with the tongue raised.
16. ط (Tta): A heavy ‘t’ sound, made with the tongue raised.
17. ظ (Zha): A heavy ‘th’ sound, like ‘th’ in ‘this’, but with the tongue raised.
18. ع (Ain): A deep guttural sound from the throat, not found in English.
19. غ (Ghain): A guttural ‘g’ sound, like a French ‘r’.
20. ف (Fa): Sounds like ‘f’ in ‘fan’.
21. ق (Qaf): A deep ‘k’ sound from the back of the throat, stronger than ‘Kaf’.
22. ك (Kaf): Sounds like ‘k’ in ‘kite’.
23. ل (Lam): Sounds like ‘l’ in ‘lion’.
24. م (Meem): Sounds like ‘m’ in ‘mat’.
25. ن (Noon): Sounds like ‘n’ in ‘nose’.
26. ه (Ha): Sounds like ‘h’ in ‘hat’ (soft ‘h’ sound).
27. و (Waw): Sounds like ‘w’ in ‘water’ or ‘oo’ in ‘moon’.
28. ي (Ya): Sounds like ‘y’ in ‘yellow’ or ‘ee’ in ‘see’.

Writing Arabic Alphabets

Arabic is written from right to left, which is different from English. Each letter has a starting point and a direction for writing. Practising how to write each letter helps to remember its shape and prepares learners to write Arabic words.

The letters to practice writing are:

1. ا (Alif)
2. ب (Ba)
3. ت (Ta)
4. ث (Tha)
5. ج (Jeem)
6. ح (Hha)
7. خ (Kha)
8. د (Dal)
9. ذ (Dhal)
10. ر (Ra)
11. ز (Zay)
12. س (Seen)
13. ش (Sheen)
14. ص (Saad)
15. ض (Daad)
16. ط (Tta)
17. ظ (Zha)
18. ع (Ain)
19. غ (Ghain)
20. ف (Fa)
21. ق (Qaf)
22. ك (Kaf)
23. ل (Lam)
24. م (Meem)
25. ن (Noon)
26. ه (Ha)
27. و (Waw)
28. ي (Ya)

When writing, pay attention to the starting point and the flow of the pen for each letter. Some letters sit on the line, while others go below the line.