Vowels
There are two types of vowels in Arabic, short and long vowel
Short Vowels
Each consonant letter can carry a short vowel:
| Short Vowel / Harakaat (حَرَكَات) | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| ــَـ | فَتْحَة | fat-ha | a |
| ــُـ | ضَمَّة | dammah | u |
| ــِـ | كَسْرَة | kasrah | i |
Long Vowels
Long vowels are used for elongation:
| Long Vowel | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Long Vowel with Preceding Harakaat | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | أَلِفْ | alif | ـَـا | aa |
| ى | أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة | alif maqṣurah | ـَـى | aa |
| و | وَاو | waw | ـُـو | oo |
| ي | يَاء | ya | ـِـي | iy |
| ى | أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة | alif maqṣurah | ـِـى | iy |
Sometimes dagger alif (a smaller alif) is written above a consonant:
| Symbol | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| ــٰـ | أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة | alif khanjariyyah | aa |
e.g. ىٰ : this shows أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة with أَلِف خَنْجَرِيَّة.
Sukoon
A consonant letter can also carry a sukoon, which indicates the absence of a vowel.
| Symbol | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| ــْـ | سُكُون | sukoon | vowel absence |
Shaddah
A consonant letter can also carry a shaddah, which indicates the doubling of the consonant. Instead of writing the letter twice, Arabic places a W-shaped sign called shaddah, above it.
| Symbol | Name (Arabic Script) | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|
| ــّـ | شَدَّة | shaddah | doubling of consonant |