Long Vowels in Arabic: Alif, Waw, and Yaa

Long Vowels in Arabic: Alif, Waw, and Yaa

After learning the short vowels (Harakat), the next step in mastering Arabic reading and pronunciation is understanding the long vowels. These are actual letters that stretch the vowel sound and are essential for correct reading, writing, and speaking.

1. What Are Long Vowels?

In Arabic, long vowels are written using letters, and they are much longer in duration than short vowels—similar to the difference between “bit” and “beet” in English.

There are three long vowels in Arabic:

Long Vowel	Letter	Sound	Example (with meaning)
ا	Alif	aa as in "car"	كِتَاب kitaab (book)
و	Waw	oo as in "moon"	نُور noor (light)
ي	Yaa	ee as in "see"	كَبِير kabeer (big)

2. How to Form Long Vowels

Each long vowel is formed by combining a short vowel + vowel letter:

• Fatha + Alif = "aa" (e.g. كَ + ا = كَا)

• Damma + Waw = "oo" (e.g. نُ + و = نُو)

• Kasra + Yaa = "ee" (e.g. كِ + ي = كِي)

Example: قَالَ (qaala) – He said
The Alif makes the “aa” sound long.

3. Key Differences from Short Vowels

Feature	Short Vowel	Long Vowel
Written	As a small symbol	As a full letter
Length	Quick/brief	Extended (held longer)
Position	On or above/below a letter	Comes after the consonant

Compare:

• بَ = ba (short)
• بَا = baa (long)

4. Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t confuse the letter with the sound:

         Just because you see the letter و doesn’t mean it's always a long vowel; it could also represent the           consonant "w" depending on context.

• Only pronounce long vowels when the letter is present, not just the Harakat alone.

5. Practice Activities

• Activity 1: Spot the Long Vowel – Highlight long vowels in words like: باب، نور، كبير

• Activity 2: Sound Stretching – Read a pair of words with short and long vowels aloud, e.g. بَ (ba) vs بَا (baa)

• Activity 3: Write and Read – Practice writing a short word like كِتَاب and pronounce it syllable by syllable.

6. Reading Practice

Try reading these words and pay attention to the long vowels:

        1. سَارَ (saara) – He walked

        2. يُوسُف (yoosuf) – Joseph

        3. كَبِير (kabeer) – Big

        4. صُورَة (soorah) – Picture

Can you identify which long vowel is in each word?

What’s Next?

Now that you know the short and long vowels, your next step is to learn about Arabic consonant doubling (Shaddah) and how it changes the meaning and pronunciation of words.