Editing Arabic alphabet (section)

==Letters==
{{needs more citations section|date=July 2024}}
The basic Arabic alphabet contains 28 [[letter (alphabet)|letters]]. Forms using the Arabic script to write other languages added and removed letters: for example ⟨پ⟩ is often used to represent {{IPA|/p/}} in adaptations of the Arabic script. Unlike [[Archaic Greek alphabets|Greek]]-derived alphabets, Arabic has no distinct [[letter case|upper and lower case]] letterforms.

Many letters look similar but are distinguished from one another by dots ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|[[Arabic diacritics#I'jam (phonetic distinctions of consonants)|ʾiʿjām]]}}) above or below their central part ({{transliteration|ar|[[rasm]]}}). These dots are an integral part of a letter, since they distinguish between letters that represent different sounds. For example, the Arabic letters {{lang|ar|ب|}} {{transliteration|ar|b}}, {{lang|ar|ت}} {{transliteration|ar|t}}, and {{lang|ar|ث}} {{transliteration|ar|th}} have the same basic shape, but with one dot added below, two dots added above, and three dots added above respectively. The letter {{lang|ar|ن}} {{transliteration|ar|n}} also has the same form in initial and medial forms, with one dot added above, though it is somewhat different in its isolated and final forms. Historically, they were often omitted, in a writing style called [[rasm]].

Both printed and written Arabic are [[cursive]], with most letters within a word directly joined to adjacent letters.

===Alphabetical order===
There are two main [[collation|collating sequences]] ('alphabetical orderings') for the Arabic alphabet: {{transliteration|ar|Hija'i}}, and {{transliteration|ar|Abjadi}}.

The Hija'i order ({{lang|ar|هِجَائِيّ}} {{transliteration|ar|Hijāʾiyy}} {{IPA|/hid͡ʒaːʔijj/}}) is the more common order and it is used when sorting lists of words and names, such as in phonebooks, classroom lists, and dictionaries.

The original {{transliteration|ar|Abjadi}} order ({{lang|ar|أَبْجَدِيّ}} {{transliteration|ar|ʾabjadiyy}} {{IPA|/ʔabd͡ʒadijj/}}) derives from that used by the [[Phoenician alphabet]] and therefore resembles the sequence of letters in [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew]] and [[Greek alphabet|Greek]]. Letters are also assigned numerical values ([[abjad numerals]]) for purposes of [[numerology]], as is done in Hebrew [[gematria]] and Greek [[isopsephy]]. Letters in the Hija'i order are not considered to have numerical values.

==== Hijaʼi ====
Modern dictionaries and reference books use the {{transliteration|ar|hijāʾī}} alphabetical order instead of the Abjadi alphabetical order, in which letters are arranged mainly by similarity of shape. The ''hijaʼi'' order is never used for numerals.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Common {{transliteration|ar|hijaʼi}} order
|-
| {{lang|ar|ا}} || {{lang|ar|ب}} || {{lang|ar|ت}} || {{lang|ar|ث}} || {{lang|ar|ج}} || {{lang|ar|ح}} || {{lang|ar|خ}} || {{lang|ar|د}} || {{lang|ar|ذ}} || {{lang|ar|ر}} || {{lang|ar|ز}} || {{lang|ar|س}} || {{lang|ar|ش}} || {{lang|ar|ص}} || {{lang|ar|ض}} || {{lang|ar|ط}} || {{lang|ar|ظ}} || {{lang|ar|ع}} || {{lang|ar|غ}} || {{lang|ar|ف}} || {{lang|ar|ق}} || {{lang|ar|ك}} || {{lang|ar|ل}} || {{lang|ar|م}} || {{lang|ar|ن}} || {{lang|ar|ه}} || {{lang|ar|و}} || {{lang|ar|ي}}
|-
| <big>ʾ</big> || {{transliteration|ar|b}} || {{transliteration|ar|t}} || {{transliteration|ar|th}} || {{transliteration|ar|j}} || {{transliteration|ar|ḥ}} || {{transliteration|ar|kh}} || {{transliteration|ar|d}} || {{transliteration|ar|dh}} || {{transliteration|ar|r}} || {{transliteration|ar|z}} || {{transliteration|ar|s}} || {{transliteration|ar|sh}} || {{transliteration|ar|ṣ}} || {{transliteration|ar|ḍ}} || {{transliteration|ar|ṭ}} || {{transliteration|ar|ẓ}} || <big>{{ayn}}</big> || {{transliteration|ar|gh}} || {{transliteration|ar|f}} || {{transliteration|ar|q}} || {{transliteration|ar|k}} || {{transliteration|ar|l}} || {{transliteration|ar|m}} || {{transliteration|ar|n}} || {{transliteration|ar|h}} || {{transliteration|ar|w}} || {{transliteration|ar|y}}
|-
| colspan="9" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="pink" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="3" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
|}

A different ''hijaʼi'' order was used in the [[Maghreb]] but is now considered obsolete. The sequence is:{{sfn|Macdonald|1986|p= 117, 130, 149}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Maghrebian {{transliteration|ar|hijaʼi}} order (obsolete)
|-
| {{lang|ar|ا}} || {{lang|ar|ب}} || {{lang|ar|ت}} || {{lang|ar|ث}} || {{lang|ar|ج}} || {{lang|ar|ح}} || {{lang|ar|خ}} || {{lang|ar|د}} || {{lang|ar|ذ}} || {{lang|ar|ر}} || {{lang|ar|ز}} || {{lang|ar|ط}} || {{lang|ar|ظ}} || {{lang|ar|ك}} || {{lang|ar|ل}} || {{lang|ar|م}} || {{lang|ar|ن}} || {{lang|ar|ص}} || {{lang|ar|ض}} || {{lang|ar|ع}} || {{lang|ar|غ}} || {{lang|ar|ف}} || {{lang|ar|ق}} || {{lang|ar|س}} || {{lang|ar|ش}} || {{lang|ar|ه}} || {{lang|ar|و}} || {{lang|ar|ي}}
|-
| <big>ʾ</big> || {{transliteration|ar|b}} || {{transliteration|ar|t}} || {{transliteration|ar|th}} || {{transliteration|ar|j}} || {{transliteration|ar|ḥ}} || {{transliteration|ar|kh}} || {{transliteration|ar|d}} || {{transliteration|ar|dh}} || {{transliteration|ar|r}} || {{transliteration|ar|z}} || {{transliteration|ar|ṭ}} || {{transliteration|ar|ẓ}} || {{transliteration|ar|k}} || {{transliteration|ar|l}} || {{transliteration|ar|m}} || {{transliteration|ar|n}} || {{transliteration|ar|ṣ}} || {{transliteration|ar|ḍ}} || <big>{{ayn}}</big> || {{transliteration|ar|gh}} || {{transliteration|ar|f}} || {{transliteration|ar|q}} || {{transliteration|ar|s}} || {{transliteration|ar|sh}} || {{transliteration|ar|h}} || {{transliteration|ar|w}} || {{transliteration|ar|y}}
|-
| colspan="9" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="3" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="pink" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
|-
| colspan="28" bgcolor="lightgrey" style="font-size: 70%; font-style: italic;" | The colors indicate which letters have different positions from the previous table
|}

The ''al-iklīl'' order, now obsolete, also arranged letters mainly by shape. It was first used in the 10th-century work [[Al-Iklil|''Kitāb al-Iklīl'']]. The sequence is:{{sfn|Macdonald|1986|p= 130}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ ''Al-iklīl'' order (obsolete)
|-
| {{lang|ar|ا}} || {{lang|ar|ب}} || {{lang|ar|ت}} || {{lang|ar|ث}} || {{lang|ar|ج}} || {{lang|ar|ح}} || {{lang|ar|خ}} || {{lang|ar|د}} || {{lang|ar|ذ}} || {{lang|ar|ك}} || {{lang|ar|ل}} || {{lang|ar|م}} || {{lang|ar|و}} || {{lang|ar|ن}} || {{lang|ar|ص}} || {{lang|ar|ض}} || {{lang|ar|ع}} || {{lang|ar|غ}} || {{lang|ar|ط}} || {{lang|ar|ظ}} || {{lang|ar|ف}} || {{lang|ar|ق}} || {{lang|ar|ر}} || {{lang|ar|ز}} || {{lang|ar|ه}} || {{lang|ar|س}} || {{lang|ar|ش}} || {{lang|ar|ي}}
|-
| <big>ʾ</big> || {{transliteration|ar|b}} || {{transliteration|ar|t}} || {{transliteration|ar|th}} || {{transliteration|ar|j}} || {{transliteration|ar|ḥ}} || {{transliteration|ar|kh}} || {{transliteration|ar|d}} || {{transliteration|ar|dh}} || {{transliteration|ar|k}} || {{transliteration|ar|l}} || {{transliteration|ar|m}} || {{transliteration|ar|w}} || {{transliteration|ar|n}} || {{transliteration|ar|ṣ}} || {{transliteration|ar|ḍ}} || <big>{{ayn}}</big> || {{transliteration|ar|gh}} || {{transliteration|ar|ṭ}} || {{transliteration|ar|ẓ}} || {{transliteration|ar|f}} || {{transliteration|ar|q}} || {{transliteration|ar|r}} || {{transliteration|ar|z}} || {{transliteration|ar|h}} || {{transliteration|ar|s}} || {{transliteration|ar|sh}} || {{transliteration|ar|y}}
|-
| colspan="9" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="3" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgreen" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightblue" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="pink" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
|}
[[File:Arabic vs Hebrew Syriac Greek mul.svg|thumb|320px|hijāʾī collation compared to Hebrew, Syriac, and Greek]]

==== Abjadi ====
The Abjadi order is not a simple correspondence with the earlier north Semitic alphabetic order, as it has a position corresponding to the Aramaic letter ''[[samek]]'' {{lang|arc|𐡎‎}}, which has no cognate letter in the Arabic alphabet historically. The abjadi order is the usual Arabic order in  dictionaries and reference books of the late 1st millennium to the early 2nd millennium.

The loss of {{transliteration|he|sameḵ}} was compensated for by:

* In the [[Mashriq]]i abjad sequence, the letter {{lang|ar|ﺱ}} {{transliteration|ar|sīn}} took the place of {{transliteration|he|sameḵ}}, and the letter {{lang|ar|ش}} {{transliteration|ar|shīn}} took place of ''[[Shin (letter)|šīn]]'' {{lang|arc|𐡔}}.
* In the [[Maghreb]]i abjad sequence, the letter [[Tsade (letter)|''ṣāḏē'']] {{lang|arc|𐡑}} was split into two independent Arabic letters, {{lang|ar|ض}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḍad}} and {{lang|ar|ص}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ṣad}}, with the latter taking the place of {{transliteration|he|ALA|sameḵ}}.

The six other letters that do not correspond to any north Semitic letter are placed at the end.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Common {{transliteration|ar|ALA|Abjadi}} sequence{{sfn|Macdonald|1986|p=117, 130, 149}}
|{{lang|ar|ا}}
|{{lang|ar|ب}}
|{{lang|ar|ج}}
|{{lang|ar|د}}
|{{lang|ar|ه}}
|{{lang|ar|و}}
|{{lang|ar|ز}}
|{{lang|ar|ح}}
|{{lang|ar|ط}}
|{{lang|ar|ي}}
|{{lang|ar|ك}}
|{{lang|ar|ل}}
|{{lang|ar|م}}
|{{lang|ar|ن}}
|{{lang|ar|س}}
|{{lang|ar|ع}}
|{{lang|ar|ف}}
|{{lang|ar|ص}}
|{{lang|ar|ق}}
|{{lang|ar|ر}}
|{{lang|ar|ش}}
|{{lang|ar|ت}}
|{{lang|ar|ث}}
|{{lang|ar|خ}}
|{{lang|ar|ذ}}
|{{lang|ar|ض}}
|{{lang|ar|ظ}}
|{{lang|ar|غ}}
|-
|<big>ʾ</big>
|{{transliteration|ar|b}}
|{{transliteration|ar|j}}
|{{transliteration|ar|d}}
|{{transliteration|ar|h}}
|{{transliteration|ar|w}}
|{{transliteration|ar|z}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ḥ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ṭ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|y}}
|{{transliteration|ar|k}}
|{{transliteration|ar|l}}
|{{transliteration|ar|m}}
|{{transliteration|ar|n}}
|{{transliteration|ar|s}}
|<big>{{ayn}}</big>
|{{transliteration|ar|f}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ṣ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|q}}
|{{transliteration|ar|r}}
|{{transliteration|ar|sh}}
|{{transliteration|ar|t}}
|{{transliteration|ar|th}}
|{{transliteration|ar|kh}}
|{{transliteration|ar|dh}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ḍ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ẓ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|gh}}
|- style="color:gray"
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|- style="color:gray"
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|-
| colspan="14" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="pink" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="yellow" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="pink" |
| colspan="4" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="yellow" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="yellow" |
|}
This is commonly vocalized as follows:

: {{transliteration|ar|ʾabjad hawwaz ḥuṭṭī kalaman saʿfaṣ qarashat thakhadh ḍaẓagh}}.

Another vocalization is:

: {{transliteration|ar|ʾabujadin hawazin ḥuṭiya kalman saʿfaṣ qurishat thakhudh ḍaẓugh}}{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+[[Maghreb]]ian {{transliteration|ar|Abjadi}} sequence (quoted in apparently earliest authorities & considered older){{sfn|Macdonald|1986|p=117, 130, 149}}<ref name="magb3">{{in lang|ar}} [http://alyaseer.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8807 Alyaseer.net {{lang|ar|ترتيب المداخل والبطاقات في القوائم والفهارس الموضوعية}} Ordering entries and cards in subject indexes] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223135008/http://alyaseer.net/vb/showthread.php?t=8807|date=23 December 2007}} Discussion thread ''(Accessed 2009-October–06)''</ref>
|{{lang|ar|ا}}
|{{lang|ar|ب}}
|{{lang|ar|ج}}
|{{lang|ar|د}}
|{{lang|ar|ه}}
|{{lang|ar|و}}
|{{lang|ar|ز}}
|{{lang|ar|ح}}
|{{lang|ar|ط}}
|{{lang|ar|ي}}
|{{lang|ar|ك}}
|{{lang|ar|ل}}
|{{lang|ar|م}}
|{{lang|ar|ن}}
|{{lang|ar|ص}}
|{{lang|ar|ع}}
|{{lang|ar|ف}}
|{{lang|ar|ض}}
|{{lang|ar|ق}}
|{{lang|ar|ر}}
|{{lang|ar|س}}
|{{lang|ar|ت}}
|{{lang|ar|ث}}
|{{lang|ar|خ}}
|{{lang|ar|ذ}}
|{{lang|ar|ظ}}
|{{lang|ar|غ}}
|{{lang|ar|ش}}
|-
|<big>ʾ</big>
|{{transliteration|ar|b}}
|{{transliteration|ar|j}}
|{{transliteration|ar|d}}
|{{transliteration|ar|h}}
|{{transliteration|ar|w}}
|{{transliteration|ar|z}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ḥ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ṭ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|y}}
|{{transliteration|ar|k}}
|{{transliteration|ar|l}}
|{{transliteration|ar|m}}
|{{transliteration|ar|n}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ṣ}}
|<big>{{ayn}}</big>
|{{transliteration|ar|f}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ḍ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|q}}
|{{transliteration|ar|r}}
|{{transliteration|ar|s}}
|{{transliteration|ar|t}}
|{{transliteration|ar|th}}
|{{transliteration|ar|kh}}
|{{transliteration|ar|dh}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ẓ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|gh}}
|{{transliteration|ar|sh}}
|- style="color:gray"
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|-
| colspan="14" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="yellow" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="yellow" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="pink" |
| colspan="4" bgcolor="lightgrey" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="yellow" |
| colspan="1" bgcolor="pink" |
|-
| colspan="28" bgcolor="lightgrey" style="font-size: 70%; font-style: italic;" |The colors indicate which letters have different positions from the previous table
|}
This can be vocalized as:

: {{transliteration|ar|ʾabujadin hawazin ḥuṭiya kalman ṣaʿfaḍ qurisat thakhudh ẓaghush}}

===Letter forms===
{{Calligraphy}}
The Arabic alphabet is always cursive and letters vary in shape depending on their position within a word. Letters can exhibit up to four distinct forms corresponding to an initial, medial (middle), final, or isolated position ([[IMFI]]). While some letters show considerable variations, others remain almost identical across all four positions. Generally, letters in the same word are linked together on both sides by short horizontal lines, but six letters ({{lang|ar|و ,ز ,ر ,ذ ,د ,ا}}) can only be linked to their preceding letter. In addition, some letter combinations are written as [[ligature (typography)|ligatures]] (special shapes), notably {{transliteration|ar|[[lām-alif]]}} {{lang|ar|لا}},<ref>{{cite book |title=Writing Systems: A Linguistic Approach |author=Rogers, Henry |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |year=2005 |page=135}}</ref> which is the only mandatory ligature (the unligated combination {{lang|ar|ل&#x200D;ا}} is considered difficult to read).

====Table of basic letters====
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Arabic letters usage in Literary Arabic
|-
!colspan="2"|Abjadi Order
! rowspan="2" |[[Romanization of Arabic|Romanization]]{{efn|name=romanization|The romanization depends on each system or country; for example {{lang|ar|ج}} is romanized to {{lang|en|G}} in Egypt and {{lang|en|J}} in most other Arabic countries.}}
! rowspan="2" |Letter <br/> name in [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
!rowspan="2"|Letter <br/> name in Arabic script{{efn|name=names|The Arabic letter names below are the standard and most universally used names, other names (e.g. letter names in Egypt) might be used instead.}}
!rowspan="2"|Value in Literary Arabic ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]])
!colspan="3"|Contextual forms
!rowspan="2"|Isolated <br/> form
! rowspan="2" |Hija'i
Order
|-
!Maghreb 
!Common 
!Final
!Medial
!Initial
|-
! 
! 
! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! &nbsp;<!-- separate row for sort icons -->!!
|-
| data-sort-value="01." |1
| data-sort-value="01." |1
|{{transliteration|ar|ISO|ʾ}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʔ}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}}{{efn|name=alif|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Alif}} can represent different phonemes; initially: a/i/u /a, i, u/ or sometimes silent in the definite article ال (a)l-. Medially and finally it represents a long vowel ā /aː/. It is also used in some hamzah /ʔ/ forms, check [[#Hamzah forms]]}}
| {{IPA|ar|ʔalif|}}
|{{lang|ar|أَلِف}}
|{{IPAslink|ʔ}}, {{IPAslink|aː}}{{efn|name=alif|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Alif}} can represent different phonemes; initially: a/i/u /a, i, u/ or sometimes silent in the definite article ال (a)l-. Medially and finally it represents a long vowel ā /aː/. It is also used in some hamzah /ʔ/ forms, check [[#Hamzah forms]]}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـا}}}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ا]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="01." |1
|-
| data-sort-value="02." |2
| data-sort-value="02." |2
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|b}}
|{{IPA|ar|baːʔ|}} 
|{{lang|ar|بَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|b}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـب}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـبـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|بـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ب]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="02." |2
|-
|22
|22
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|t}}
|{{IPA|ar|taːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|تَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|t}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـت}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـتـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|تـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ت]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="03." |3
|-
|23
|23
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ṯ}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|th}}
|{{IPA|ar|θaːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|ثَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|θ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـث}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـثـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ثـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ث]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="04." |4
|-
| data-sort-value="03." |3
| data-sort-value="03." |3
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|j}}
|{{IPA|ar|d͡ʒiːm|}}
|{{lang|ar|جِيم}}
|{{IPAslink|d͡ʒ}}{{efn|When speaking Modern Standard Arabic (الفصحى al-Fuṣḥā) the {{lang|ar|ج}} pronunciation varies regionally, most prominently [d͡ʒ] in most of the Arabian Peninsula, parts of the Levant, parts of Egypt (especially the countryside and upper Egypt), Iraq, and northern-central Algeria, it is also considered as the predominant pronunciation of Literary Arabic when reciting the Quran and in Arabic studies outside the Arab world, [ʒ] in most of Northwest Africa and parts of the Levant (especially urban centers) and parts of the Arabian Peninsula, while [ɡ] is the standard pronunciation only in Egypt, ([ɡ] appears as a dialectal pronunciation in coastal Yemen, and coastal Oman), as well as [ɟ] in Sudan.}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـج}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـجـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|جـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ج]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="05." |5
|-
| data-sort-value="08." |8
| data-sort-value="08." |8
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḥ}}
|{{IPA|ar|ħaːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|حَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|ħ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـح}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـحـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|حـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ح]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="06." |6
|-
|24
|24
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḵ}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|kh}}
|{{IPA|ar|xaːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|خَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|x}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـخ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـخـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|خـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[خ]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="07." |7
|-
| data-sort-value="04." |4
| data-sort-value="04." |4
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|d}}
|{{IPA|ar|daːl|}}
|{{lang|ar|دَال}}
|{{IPAslink|d}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـد}}}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[د]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="08." |8
|-
|25
|25
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḏ}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|dh}}
|{{IPA|ar|ðaːl|}}
|{{lang|ar|ذَال}}
|{{IPAslink|ð}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـذ}}}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ذ]]}}}}
| data-sort-value="09." |9
|-
|20
|20
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|r}}
|{{IPA|ar|raːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|رَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|r}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـر}}}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ر]]}}}}
|10
|-
| data-sort-value="07." |7
| data-sort-value="07." |7
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|z}}
|{{IPA|ar|zaːj|}}
|{{lang|ar|زَاي}} {{efn|name=zāy names|{{lang|ar|ز}} the standard name of the letter is zāy {{lang|ar|زاي}} but it is sometimes miscalled "zayn"  {{lang|ar|زين}}.}}
|{{IPAslink|z}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـز}}}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ز]]}}}}
|11
|-
|21
|15
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|s}}
|{{IPA|ar|siːn|}}
|{{lang|ar|سِين}}
|{{IPAslink|s}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـس}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـسـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|سـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[س]]}}}}
|12
|-
|28
|21
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|š}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|sh}}
|{{IPA|ar|ʃiːn|}}
|{{lang|ar|شِين}}
|{{IPAslink|ʃ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـش}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـشـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|شـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ش]]}}}}
|13
|-
|15
|18
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ṣ}}
|{{IPA|ar|sˤaːd|}}
|{{lang|ar|صَاد}}
|{{IPAslink|sˤ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـص}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـصـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|صـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ص]]}}}}
|14
|-
|18
|26
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḍ}}
|{{IPA|ar|dˤaːd|}}
|{{lang|ar|ضَاد}}
|{{IPAslink|dˤ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـض}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـضـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ضـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ض]]}}}}
|15
|-
| data-sort-value="09." |9
| data-sort-value="09." |9
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ṭ}}
|{{IPA|ar|tˤaːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|طَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|tˤ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـط}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـطـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|طـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ط]]}}}}
|16
|-
|26
|27
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ẓ}} 
|{{IPA|ar|ðˤaːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|ظَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|ðˤ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـظ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـظـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ظـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ظ]]}}}}
|17
|-
|16
|16
|{{Ayn}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʕ}}
|{{IPA|ar|ʕajn|}}
|{{lang|ar|عَيْن}}
|{{IPAslink|ʕ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـع}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـعـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|عـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ع]]}}}}
|18
|-
|27
|28
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḡ}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|gh}}
|{{IPA|ar|ɣajn|}}
|{{lang|ar|غَيْن}}
| {{IPAslink|ɣ}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـغ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـغـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|غـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[غ]]}}}}
|19
|-
|17
|17
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|f}}
|{{IPA|ar|faːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|فَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|f}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـف}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـفـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|فـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ف]]}}}}
|20
|-
|19
|19
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|q}}
|{{IPA|ar|qaːf|}}
|{{lang|ar|قَاف}}
|{{IPAslink|q}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـق}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـقـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|قـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ق]]}}}}
|21
|-
|11
|11
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|k}}
|{{IPA|ar|kaːf|}}
|{{lang|ar|كَاف}}
|{{IPAslink|k}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـك}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـكـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|كـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ك]]}}}}
|22
|-
|12
|12
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|l}}
|{{IPA|ar|laːm|}}
|{{lang|ar|لاَم}}
|{{IPAslink|l}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـل}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـلـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|لـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ل]]}}}}
|23
|-
|13
|13
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|m}}
|{{IPA|ar|miːm|}}
|{{lang|ar|مِيم}}
|{{IPAslink|m}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـم}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـمـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|مـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[م]]}}}}
|24
|-
|14
|14
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|n}}
|{{IPA|ar|nuːn|}}
|{{lang|ar|نُون}}
|{{IPAslink|n}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـن}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـنـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|نـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ن]]}}}}
|25
|-
| data-sort-value="05." |5
| data-sort-value="05." |5
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|h}} 
|{{IPA|ar|haːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|هَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|h}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـه{{lrm}}}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـهـ{{lrm}}{{lrm}}}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|هـ{{lrm}}}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ﻩ]]}}}}{{efn|In certain contexts such as serial numbers and license plates the initial form is used to prevent confusion with the western number zero or Eastern Arabic Numeral for 5(٥). It's also worth mentioning that the initial form هـ is usually used when writing the letter separately, rather than using the isolated form ه.}}
|26
|-
| data-sort-value="06." |6
| data-sort-value="06." |6
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|w}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ū}}
|{{IPA|ar|waːw|}}
|{{lang|ar|وَاو}}
|{{IPAslink|w}}, {{IPAslink|uː}}{{efn|name=vowels|The letters ⟨[[و]]⟩ and ⟨[[ي]]⟩ are used to transcribe the vowels {{IPAslink|oː}} and {{IPAslink|eː}} respectively in loanwords and dialects. ⟨[[و]]⟩ also appears as a silent letter in the name عمرو Amr /ʕamr/ which is sometimes romanized wrongly as Amro or Amru.}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـو}}}}
| colspan="2" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[و]]}}}}
|27
|-
|10
|10
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|y}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ī}}
|{{IPA|ar|jaːʔ|}}
|{{lang|ar|يَاء}}
|{{IPAslink|j}}, {{IPAslink|iː}}{{efn|name=vowels|The letters ⟨[[و]]⟩ and ⟨[[ي]]⟩ are used to transcribe the vowels {{IPAslink|oː}} and {{IPAslink|eː}} respectively in loanwords and dialects. ⟨[[و]]⟩ also appears as a silent letter in the name عمرو Amr /ʕamr/ which is sometimes romanized wrongly as Amro or Amru.}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـي}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـيـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|يـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ي]]}}}}{{efn|name=regional-variation|in Egypt and Sudan, the yā’ ي is dotless in the isolated and final position, merging with the ʾalif maqṣūrah ى.}}
|28
|-
! colspan="11" |
|-
| -
| -
|ʾ / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʔ}}
|{{IPA|ar|hamza(h)|}}
|{{lang|ar|هَمْزة}}
|{{IPAslink|ʔ}}
| colspan="4" |<sub>{{huge|{{lang|ar|[[ء]]}}}}</sub>
(used in medial and final positions as an unlinked letter)
| -{{efn|can be considered a letter and plays an important role in Arabic spelling but not considered part of the alphabet.}}
|}

'''Notes'''

{{notelist}}
* See the article ''[[Romanization of Arabic]]'' for details on various transliteration schemes. Arabic language speakers may usually not follow a standardized scheme when transcribing words or names. Some Arabic letters which do not have an equivalent in English (such as ط) are often spelled as numbers when Romanized. Also names are regularly transcribed as pronounced locally, not as pronounced in [[Modern Standard Arabic|Literary Arabic]] (if they were of Arabic origin).
* Regarding pronunciation, the phonemic values given are those of Modern Standard Arabic, which is taught in schools and universities. In practice, pronunciation may vary considerably from region to region. For more details concerning the pronunciation of Arabic, consult the articles ''[[Arabic phonology]]'' and ''[[varieties of Arabic]]''.
* The names of the Arabic letters can be thought of as abstractions of an older version where they were meaningful words in the [[Proto-Semitic]] language. 
* Six letters ({{lang|ar|و ز ر ذ د ا}}) do not have a distinct medial form and have to be written with their final form without being connected to the next letter. Their initial form matches the isolated form. The following letter is written in its initial form, or isolated form if it is the final letter in the word.
* The letter {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}} originated in the Phoenician alphabet as a consonant-sign indicating a glottal stop. Today it has lost its function as a consonant, and, together with {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ya’}} and {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}}, is a ''[[mater lectionis]]'', a consonant sign standing in for a long vowel (see below), or as support for certain diacritics ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|maddah}} and ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|hamzah}}'').
* Arabic currently uses a [[Punctuation|punctuation mark]] called the {{transliteration|ar|ALA|hamzah}} ({{lang|ar|ء}}) to denote the [[glottal stop]] {{IPA|[ʔ]}}, written alone or with a carrier:
** alone: {{lang|ar|ء}}
** with a carrier: {{lang|ar|إ أ}} (above or under an {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}), {{lang|ar|ؤ}} (above a {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}}), {{lang|ar|ئ}} (above a dotless {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yā’}} or {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yā’ hamzah}}).

:In academic work, the hamza is transliterated with the [[modifier letter right half ring]] (ʾ) or ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʔ}}) on [[Wiktionary]], while the [[modifier letter left half ring]] (ʿ) or ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʕ}}) on Wiktionary, transliterates the letter ''[[Ayin|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|‘ayn}}]]'' ({{lang|ar|ع}}), which represents a different sound, not found in English.
:The hamza has a single form, since it is never linked to a preceding or following letter. However, it is sometimes combined with a {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yā’}}, or {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}, and in that case the carrier behaves like an ordinary {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yā’}}, or {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}, check the table below:

==== Hamza forms ====
{{further|Hamza#Arabic "seat" rules}}
The Hamza {{IPAslink|ʔ}} (glottal stop) can be written either alone, as if it were a letter, or with a carrier, when it becomes a [[Arabic diacritics|diacritic]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Habash |first=Nizar Y. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sYhyEAAAQBAJ |title=Introduction to Arabic Natural Language Processing |date=2022-06-01 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-02139-8 |pages=60 |language=en}}</ref> {{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzat al-madd}}  ({{lang|ar|آ}}) indicates a long {{IPAslink|ʔ}} + {{IPA|/aː/}} sound as in {{lang|ar|آسف}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾāsif}}  {{IPA|/ʔaː.sif/}} "sorry", while the other Hamzas indicate the glottal stop {{IPAslink|ʔ}} in different positions of the word as in {{lang|ar|مسؤول}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|masʾūl}} {{IPA|/mas.'''ʔ'''uːl/}} and {{lang|ar|سائل}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|sāʾil}} {{IPA|/saː.'''ʔ'''il/}}, the writing of the Hamza is based on a set of rules, For the writing rule of each form, see {{slink|Hamza#Arabic "seat" rules}}.
{|class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" |Name
! colspan="4" |Contextual forms
! rowspan="2" |Isolated
! rowspan="2" |Position occurrence
|-
! Final 
! colspan="2" |Medial
!Initial
|-
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzah ʿalā al-[[Aleph#Arabic variants|ʾalif]]}} ({{lang|ar|<big>هَمْزَة عَلَى الأَلِفْ</big>}})
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـأ}}}}
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center" |<span style="font-size:190%;"><small>{{lang|ar|أ}}</small></span>
|Initial / Medial / Final positions
|-
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzah taḥt al-ʾalif}} ({{lang|ar|<big>هَمْزَة تَحْت الأَلِفْ</big>}})
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | -
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center" | <span style="font-size:190%;"><small>{{lang|ar|إ}}</small></span>
|Initial position only
|-
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzah ʿalā as-saṭr}} ({{lang|ar|<big>هَمْزَة عَلَى السَّطْر</big>}})
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center" | {{huge|{{lang|ar|ء}}}}
| style="text-align:center" | -
| style="text-align:center" | <span style="font-size:190%;"><small>{{lang|ar|ء}}</small></span>
|Medial / Final only
|-
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzah ʿalā al-wāw}} ({{lang|ar|<big>هَمْزَة عَلَى الوَاو</big>}})
| colspan="3" style="text-align:center" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـؤ}}}}
| style="text-align:center" | -
| style="text-align:center" | <span style="font-size:190%;"><small>{{lang|ar|ؤ}}</small></span>
|Medial / Final only
|-
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzah ʿalā nabra}} ({{lang|ar|<big>هَمْزَة عَلَى نَبْرَة</big>}}) (medial)<br/>{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzah ʿalā al-yāʾ}} ({{lang|ar|<big>هَمْزَة عَلَى اليَاء</big>}}) (final)
| style="text-align:center" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـئ}}}}
|style="text-align:center" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـئـ}}}}
|{{huge|{{lang|ar|ئـ}}}}
| style="text-align:center" | -
|style="text-align:center" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ئ}}}}
|Medial / Final only
|-
! colspan="7" |
|-
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|Hamzat al-madd}} ({{lang|ar|<big>هَمْزَةْ المد</big>}}) 
|style="text-align:center" | -
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center" |{{huge|{{lang|ar|ـآ}}}}
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center" |<span style="font-size:190%;"><small>{{lang|ar|آ}}</small></span>
|Initial / Medial only
|}

====Modified letters====
The following are not individual letters, but rather different contextual variants of some of the Arabic letters.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" |Name
! colspan="3" |Contextual forms
! rowspan="2" |Isolated
! rowspan="2" |Translit.
! rowspan="2" |Notes and Phonemic Value (IPA)
|-
!Final
!Medial
!Initial
|- 
|[[Tāʾ marbūṭah|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|tāʾ marbūṭah}}]]
({{lang|ar|<big>تَاءْ مَرْبُوطَة</big>}})
|style="line-height:180%;padding:10px;" |<span style="font-size:190%;">{{lang|ar|ـة}}</span>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center"  |(only final)
| style="text-align:center" |<span style="font-size:190%;">{{lang|ar|ة}}</span>
| style="text-align:center" | {{transliteration|ar|ALA|h}} or {{transliteration|ar|ALA|t}}
|(aka "''correlated tā{{'}}''")
used in final position, often for denoting singular feminine ''noun/word'' or to make the ''noun/word'' feminine, it has two pronunciations rules; often unpronounced or pronounced {{IPA|/h/}} as in {{lang|ar|مدرسة}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|madrasa}} {{IPA|ar|madrasa|}} / {{transliteration|ar|ALA|madrasah}} {{IPA|ar|madrasah|}} "school" and pronounced {{IPA|/t/}} in [[construct state]] as in {{lang|ar|مدرسة سارة}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|madrasatu sāra}} "Sara's school".

In rare ''irregular noun/word'' cases, it appears to denote masculine singular nouns as in {{lang|ar|أسامة}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾusāma}}, or some masculine plural noun forms as in {{lang|ar|بَقَّالَة}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|baqqāla}} plural of {{lang|ar|بَقَّال}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|baqqāl}}.

plural nouns: {{transliteration|ar|ALA|āt}} (a preceding letter followed by a {{transliteration|ar|ALA|fatḥah alif}} + {{transliteration|ar|ALA|tāʾ}} = {{script/Arabic|1=ـَات}})
|- 
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|[[Aleph#Arabic variants|ʾalif maqṣūrah]]}} ({{lang|ar|<big>أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة</big>}})
| style="line-height:180%;padding:10px;" |<span style="font-size:190%;">{{lang|ar|ـى}}</span>
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center" |(only final)
| style="text-align:center" |<span style="font-size:190%;">{{lang|ar|ى}}</span>
| style="text-align:center" |{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}} 
| Two uses:<br />1. The letter called {{lang|ar|أَلِفْ مَقْصُورَة}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif maqṣūrah}} or {{lang|ar|ْأَلِف لَيِّنَة}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif layyinah}} (as opposed to {{lang|ar|أَلِف مَمْدُودَة}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif mamdūda}} {{lang|ar|ا}}), pronounced {{IPA|/aː/}} in Modern Standard Arabic. It is used only at the end of words in some special cases to denote the neuter/non-feminine aspect of the word (mainly verbs), where [[Tāʾ marbūṭah|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|tā’ marbūṭah}}]] cannot be used.<br />
{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}<br />2. A way of writing the letter {{lang|ar|ي}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yāʾ}} without its dots at the end of words, either traditionally or in contemporary use in Egypt and Sudan.
|}

===Long vowels===
In the fully vocalized Arabic text found in texts such as the Quran, a long {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}} following a consonant other than a ''[[hamza|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|hamzah}}]]'' is written with a short {{transliteration|ar|ALA|a}} sign ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|fatḥah}}) on the consonant plus an {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif}} after it; long {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ī}} is written as a sign for short {{transliteration|ar|ALA|i}} ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|kasrah}}) plus a {{transliteration|ar|ALA|''yāʾ''}}; and long {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ū}} as a sign for short {{transliteration|ar|ALA|u}} ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḍammah}}) plus a {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}}. Briefly, {{transliteration|ar|ᵃa}} = {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}}; {{transliteration|ar|ⁱy}} = {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ī}}; and {{transliteration|ar|ᵘw}} = {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ū}}. Long {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}} following a {{transliteration|ar|ALA|hamzah}} may be represented by an {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif maddah}} or by a free {{transliteration|ar|ALA|hamzah}} followed by an {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif}} (two consecutive {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif}}s are never allowed in Arabic).

The table below shows vowels placed above or below a dotted circle replacing a primary consonant letter or a ''[[Shadda|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|shaddah}}]]'' sign. For clarity in the table, the primary letters on the left used to mark these long vowels are shown only in their isolated form. Most consonants do connect to the left with {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}} and {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yāʾ}} written then with their medial or final form. Additionally, the letter {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yāʾ}} in the last row may connect to the letter on its left, and then will use a medial or initial form. Use the table of primary letters to look at their actual glyph and joining types.

{|class="wikitable"
|+Long vowels (with fully vocalized text)
|-
! Unicode
! Letter with diacritic
! Name
! Trans.
! Variants
! Value
|- style="text-align:center;"
|style="padding:10px;"|<small>064E 0627</small>
|{{script/Arabic|size=200%|ـَـا}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif mamdūdah}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}}
|''aa''
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA|/aː/}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="padding:10px;" |<small>064E 0649</small>
|{{script/Arabic|size=200%|ـَـى}}
|''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif maqṣūrah}}''
|{{transliteration|ar|ā}}
|''aa''
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="padding:10px;" |<small>064F 0648</small>
|{{script/Arabic|size=200%|ـُـو}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw mamdūdah}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ū}}
| ''uw/ ou''
|{{IPA|/uː/}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="padding:10px;" |<small>0650 064A</small>
|{{script/Arabic|size=200%|ـِـي}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|yāʾ mamdūdah}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ī}}
|''iy''
|{{IPA|/iː/}}
|-
! colspan="6" |Regional Variation (Egypt and Sudan)
|- style="text-align:center;"
|<small>0650 0649</small>
|{{script/Arabic|ـِـى|size=200%}}{{efn|name=regional-variation|See the section on [[#Regional variations|regional variations]] in letter form.}}
|''{{transliteration|ar|ALA|yāʾ mamdūdah}}''
|''ī''
|''iy''
|{{IPA|/iː/}}
|}

In unvocalized text (one in which the short vowels are not marked), the long vowels are represented by the vowel in question: {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif mamdūdah/maqṣūrah}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}}, or {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yāʾ}}. Long vowels written in the middle of a word of unvocalized text are treated like consonants with a {{transliteration|ar|ALA|sukūn}} (see below) in a text that has full diacritics. Here also, the table shows long vowel letters only in isolated form for clarity.

Combinations {{lang|ar|وا}} and {{lang|ar|يا}} are always pronounced {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wā}} and {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yā}} respectively. The exception is the suffix {{lang|ar|ـوا۟}} in verb endings where {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif}} is silent, resulting in {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ū}} or {{transliteration|ar|ALA|aw}}. In addition, when transliterating names and loanwords, Arabic language speakers write out most or all the vowels as long ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|ā}} with {{lang|ar|[[ا]]}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ʾalif}}, {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ē}} and {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ī}} with {{lang|ar|[[ي]]}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yaʾ}}, and {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ō}} and {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ū}} with {{lang|ar|[[و]]}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|wāw}}), meaning it approaches a true alphabet.

===Diphthongs===
The [[diphthongs]] {{lang|ar|حروف اللين}} {{transliteration|ar|ALA|ḥurūfu l-līn}} {{IPA|/aj/}} and {{IPA|/aw/}} are represented in vocalized text as follows:

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Diphthongs<br />(fully [[Arabic diacritics|vocalized]] text)
!Trans.
!Value
|- style="text-align:center;"
|style="padding:10px;"|<small>064A 064E</small><br />{{script/Arabic|size=200%|ـَـي}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|ay}}
|{{IPA|/aj/}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="padding:10px;" |<small>0648 064E</small><br />{{script/Arabic|size=200%|ـَـو}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|aw}}
|{{IPA|/aw/}}
|-
! colspan="3" |Other Diphthongs
|- style="text-align:center;"
|{{script/Arabic|size=200%|ـِـيّ}}
|{{transliteration|ar|ALA|iyy}}
|{{IPA|/ijj/}}
|}
A final {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yaʾ}} ''is usually'' written at the end of words for ''[[Arabic nouns and adjectives#Nisba|nisba]]'' ({{lang|ar|اَلنِّسْبَة}} ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|nisbah}}'') which is a common suffix to form adjectives of relation or pertinence. The suffix is {{lang|ar|ـِيّ}} ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|-iyy}}'' for masculine ({{lang|ar|ـِيَّة}} ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|-iyya(t)-}}'' for feminine); for example {{lang|ar|اِشْتِرَاكِيّ}} ''{{transliteration|ar|ištirākiyy}}'' "socialist", it is also used for a singulative ending that applies to human or other [[sentient]] beings as in {{lang|ar|جندي}} ''jundiyy'' "a soldier". However nowadays this final {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yaʾ}}  is mostly pronounced with a long {{transliteration|ar|ALA|yaʾ}} ({{transliteration|ar|ALA|yāʾ mamdūdah}}) ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|-ī}}'' as in {{lang|ar|اِشْتِرَاكِي}} ''{{transliteration|ar|ištirākī}}'' {{IPA|/iʃtiraːkiː/}} instead of {{lang|ar|اِشْتِرَاكِيّ}} ''{{transliteration|ar|ištirākiyy}}'' {{IPA|/iʃtiraːkijj/}}. A similar mistake happens at the end of some third person plural verbs as in {{lang|ar|جَرَوْا}} ''{{transliteration|ar|jaraw}}'' "they ran" which is pronounced nowadays as {{lang|ar|جَرُوا}} ''{{transliteration|ar|jarū}}'' {{IPA|/d͡ʒaruː/}}.

=== Ligatures ===
[[File:Component_letters_in_Allah.svg|thumb|243x243px|Components of a ligature for "Allah": <br />1. [[Aleph#Arabic|alif]]<br />2. [[Hamza#Hamzat al-waṣl ( ٱ )|hamzat waṣl]] ({{Script/Arabic|ْهَمْزَة وَصْل}})<br />3. [[lām]]<br />4. lām<br />5. [[shadda]] ({{Script/Arabic|شَدَّة}}) <br />6. [[dagger alif]] ({{Script/Arabic|أَلِفْ خَنْجَریَّة}}) <br />7. [[hāʾ]]]]
The use of [[Ligature (writing)#Non-Latin alphabets|ligature in Arabic]] is common. There is one compulsory ligature, that for {{transliteration|ar|ALA|lām}} ل + {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}} ا, which exists in two forms. All other ligatures, of which there are many,<ref>{{cite web| url = https://graphemica.com/search?q=arabic+ligature| title = A list of Arabic ligature forms in Unicode.}}</ref> are optional.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! colspan="4" | Contextual forms
! rowspan="2" | Name
! rowspan="2" |Trans.
! rowspan="2" |Value
|-
! Final
! Medial
! Initial
! Isolated
|-
| colspan="2" style="line-height:180%;padding:10px;" | <span style="font-size:190%;">{{Script/Arabic|ﻼ}}</span>
| colspan="2" style="line-height:180%;padding:10px;" | <span style="font-size:190%;">{{Script/Arabic|ﻻ}}</span>
| lām + alif
|''lā''
|/laː/
|}

A more complex ligature that combines as many as seven distinct components is commonly used to represent the word {{transliteration|ar|ALA|[[Allāh]]}} {{lang|ar|الله}}. The only ligature within the primary range of [[Arabic script in Unicode]] (U+06xx) is {{transliteration|ar|ALA|lām}} + {{transliteration|ar|ALA|alif}}. This is the only one compulsory for fonts and word-processing. Other ranges are for compatibility to older standards and contain other ligatures, which are optional.

Note: [[Unicode]] also has in its Presentation Form B FExx range a code for this ligature. If your browser and font are configured correctly for Arabic, the ligature displayed above should be identical to this one, <code>U+FEFB</code>