Vowels(حورف العلة)
In Arabic, there are 3 long vowels: alif, waaw, and yaa. These were displayed previously
as part of the alphabet but they are shown here with only their articulations as vowels,
not as consonants.
X- indicates that the letter does not attach on this side
There are also 3 Short vowels:
Fath a ´___ Kasr a___ Damma ___ُ
"a" "i" "u"
short "a" as in "at" short "i" as in "kit" short "u" sound as
in "who"
| Name | Alone | End | Middle | Beginning | Transcrpt. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| alif | ا | ا | Xا | X ا | aa | "a" as in "cat" but 2x as long Or, when near a velarized consonant, like the "o" as in "pot" |
| waaw | و | و- | Xو- | X و | uu | the long "oo" as in "spoon" |
| yaa | ي | ي- | ي | ي | ee or ii | "ii" is used when the yaa sounds like the "ee" in "beer" "ee" is used when it takes on the long a sound such as in "air" |
X- indicates that the letter does not attach on this side
Long vowels in Arabic are longer than long vowels in English. So when you pronounce them in Arabic, hold them for twice as long.
For example, pronounce the long "ii" sound in the word "beer"
then, hold it for twice the length when trying to pronounce the Arabic word "qabiir." (meaning "near").
There are also 3 Short vowels:
Fath a ´___ Kasr a___ Damma ___ُ
"a" "i" "u"
short "a" as in "at" short "i" as in "kit" short "u" sound as
in "who"
These are not letters written into the words, but marks put above and below the words to indicate that these short vowel sounds are present. When these (and the few other diacritics) are written in, this is considered FULL VOWELING and only formal, or learning texts do this. Practiced readers of Arabic do not require these small notations to know the meaning or pronunciation of the word because they can determine the word from context.
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Related Links: Arabic Continuing the Alphabet(استمرا رة الأبجدية) Hamza and Taa Marbuuta(ء and ة / ة) |