Connecting Arabic Letters: How They Change Shape

Connecting Arabic Letters: How They Change Shape

One of the unique and fascinating features of the Arabic script is how its letters connect and change form depending on their position in a word. Understanding this concept is key to reading and writing Arabic fluently.

1. The Four Letter Forms

In Arabic, most letters have up to four different shapes based on their position in a word:

• Isolated Form – When the letter stands alone.
• Initial Form – When the letter comes at the beginning of a word.
• Medial Form – When the letter appears in the middle of a word.
• Final Form – When the letter comes at the end of a word.

Here’s an example using the letter ب (Baa):

Form	Appearance	Example
Isolated	بـ	بـيت (house)
Initial	بـ	بـاب (door)
Medial	ـبـ	كـتب (he wrote)
Final	ـب	كتبـ (he wrote)

2. Letters That Connect on Both Sides

Most Arabic letters connect to the letter before and after them, like:

• ب (Baa)
• ت (Taa)
• س (Seen)
• ك (Kaaf)

These are easy to link in continuous writing.

3. Letters That Connect Only on the Right

However, some letters only connect to the letter before them, and they do not connect to the letter that comes after. These are known as non-connecting letters:

Letter	Name
ا	Alif
د	Daal
ذ	Dhaal
ر	Raa
ز	Zaa
و	Waw

This means when one of these letters appears in a word, the next letter starts fresh and isn’t connected to it.

4. Connecting Letters in a Word: Example

Let’s take the word كتاب (kitaab – book):

• ك connects to ت (becomes كت)
• ت connects to ا (but Alif doesn't connect after)
• ا doesn't connect to ب (so ب appears in its initial form)

Result: كتاب

5. Practice Tips

To master letter connections, try these steps:

• Trace and Write Words: Use tracing worksheets with connected letters.
• Use Letter Blocks: Visualize how letters change in different positions.
• Interactive Apps: Many apps show dynamic letter connections as you write.

6. Practice Activity: Connect the Dots!

Try writing the following words in Arabic script and identify how each letter connects:

        1. باب (door)

        2. نهر (river)

        3. وردة (flower)

        4. مدرسة (school)

Can you spot the non-connecting letters?

What’s Next?

Now that you understand how letters connect, you're ready to move on to reading and writing full words with short vowels and diacritics, which help with pronunciation. In the next blog post, we’ll explore Harakat (short vowels) and how they affect the reading of Arabic words.