This cheat sheet covers the Arabic alphabet, basic numbers, common greetings, and the direction used for reading and writing Arabic. Students need a quick reference because Arabic letters change shape depending on where they appear in a word. The sheet also supports pronunciation by connecting letters, vowel marks, and everyday phrases.
It is designed for grades 6-12 as a clear study tool for beginners and review learners.
Key Facts
- Arabic is read and written from right to left, but Arabic numerals in many contexts are read from left to right within the sentence.
- The Arabic alphabet has 28 main letters, and most letters have isolated, initial, medial, and final forms.
- Short vowels are written as marks: fatha = a, kasra = i, and damma = u.
- Sukun means a consonant has no following vowel, and shadda means the consonant sound is doubled.
- Six letters do not connect to the following letter: ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, and و.
- The numbers 0 to 10 in Arabic-Indic numerals are ٠, ١, ٢, ٣, ٤, ٥, ٦, ٧, ٨, ٩, ١٠.
- A common formal greeting is السلام عليكم, which means peace be upon you.
- The usual reply to السلام عليكم is وعليكم السلام, which means and peace be upon you.
Vocabulary
- Alphabet
- An alphabet is a set of letters used to write the sounds of a language.
- Letter form
- A letter form is the shape a letter takes when it is isolated, at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word.
- Short vowel
- A short vowel is a small mark written above or below a letter to show a brief vowel sound.
- Sukun
- Sukun is a mark that shows a consonant is not followed by a vowel sound.
- Shadda
- Shadda is a mark that shows a consonant sound is doubled or held slightly longer.
- Greeting
- A greeting is a polite word or phrase used when meeting someone or starting a conversation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Reading Arabic from left to right is wrong because Arabic words and sentences are normally read from right to left.
- Using only the isolated form of each letter is wrong because most Arabic letters change shape when joined in words.
- Connecting every letter to the next letter is wrong because ا, د, ذ, ر, ز, and و do not connect to the following letter.
- Ignoring short vowel marks can change pronunciation because fatha, kasra, and damma show important vowel sounds.
- Confusing السلام عليكم with its reply is a common mistake because السلام عليكم starts the greeting and وعليكم السلام answers it.
Practice Questions
- 1 Write the Arabic-Indic numerals for 3, 7, and 10.
- 2 How many main letters are in the Arabic alphabet, and how many common letters do not connect to the following letter?
- 3 Match each short vowel mark to its sound: fatha, kasra, damma.
- 4 Explain why learning letter forms is important before trying to read full Arabic words.