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The Arabic alphabet for kids

All 28 letters, from alif to yaa. Tap 🔊 to hear each letter spoken, then open a letter to see its shapes, a first word and a free worksheet.

How Arabic letters work

➡️ Right to leftArabic is read and written from right to left, so worksheets start on the right of the line.
🔗 Joined upMost letters join to their neighbours and change shape at the start, middle and end of a word. Learn the four shapes.
•• Dots matterMany letters share a body and differ only in their dots, like ب ت ث. Learning them as a family makes them easier.
َ ِ ُ Little vowelsShort vowels are small marks above or below a letter: fatha, kasra and damma. See how they work.

Letter families

Letters that share a shape, learned together. Each family has its own worksheet pack.

ب ت ث ن يج ح خد ذر زس شص ضط ظع غف ق

Free Arabic alphabet worksheets

Trace every letter from right to left, with a green dot showing where to start. 41 A4 PDFs: all 28 letters, letter families, numbers and English A to Z.

Get the free worksheets
A Fanfoon worksheet for tracing the letter jeem

Questions parents ask

How many letters are in the Arabic alphabet?
28. They are written from right to left, and most letters join up to the letters next to them.
Why do Arabic letters change shape?
Arabic is joined-up writing, so most letters have a shape for the start, middle and end of a word, plus one for standing alone. Six letters (ا د ذ ر ز و) never join to the letter after them, so they only have two shapes.
What order should children learn the Arabic letters in?
Most children start from alif and go in alphabet order, which also groups letters that look alike: ب ت ث differ only in their dots. Learning a letter's sound, a word that starts with it and how to trace it together works better than memorising names alone.
What age can children start learning Arabic letters?
Children can start hearing letter sounds and first words from about age 2, and tracing letters from about 3 or 4, once they can hold a crayon. A few minutes a day is plenty.
Are the Arabic worksheets free?
Yes. Every letter has a free two-page A4 worksheet: tracing with a green dot showing where to start, then the letter's shapes and a word. Get them here.