Arabic is read from right to left. In the grid above, start at the top right with Alif.
The 29 letters of Noorani Qaida lesson 1
| Letter | Name | Sound | Pronunciation tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| ا | Alif | a / aa | The carrier of the long "aa" sound |
| ب | Baa | b | |
| ت | Taa | t | Light "t" |
| ث | Thaa | th | As in "think", tongue tip between the teeth |
| ج | Jeem | j | |
| ح | Haa | h (strong) | From the middle of the throat; a breathy "h" with no rasp |
| خ | Khaa | kh | Heavy; like Scottish "loch" |
| د | Daal | d | |
| ذ | Dhaal | dh | As in "this", tongue tip between the teeth |
| ر | Raa | r | Rolled with the tongue tip |
| ز | Zaay | z | |
| س | Seen | s | Light "s" |
| ش | Sheen | sh | |
| ص | Saad | s (heavy) | Heavy "s" with a full mouth |
| ض | Daad | d (heavy) | Unique heavy letter from the side of the tongue |
| ط | Taa | t (heavy) | Heavy "t" |
| ظ | Dhaa | dh (heavy) | Heavy "th" as in "this" |
| ع | Ain | ' (ain) | From the middle of the throat; has no English equivalent |
| غ | Ghain | gh | Heavy; like a French "r" |
| ف | Faa | f | |
| ق | Qaaf | q | Heavy; from the very back of the tongue |
| ك | Kaaf | k | Light "k" |
| ل | Laam | l | |
| م | Meem | m | |
| ن | Noon | n | |
| و | Waaw | w / oo | |
| ه | Haa | h (light) | From the bottom of the throat, like English "h" |
| ء | Hamzah | ' (glottal stop) | The catch in the throat in "uh-oh" |
| ي | Yaa | y / ee |
Most alphabets list 28 letters; the Noorani Qaida also teaches Hamzah (ء) separately, giving 29.
The 7 heavy letters
These letters are always read with a full, heavy sound: خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ. Teachers often group them in the phrase khuss daghtin qiz. All other letters are generally light (with a few exceptions such as Raa and the Laam in the name of Allah, learned later).
The 6 throat letters
ء ه ع ح غ خ come from the throat. English speakers often confuse ح with ه, and ع with ء. Getting these right early saves months of correction later.
Letters that look alike
- ب ت ث differ only in the number and position of dots.
- ج ح خ share one shape: one dot below, none, one dot above.
- د ذ, ر ز, س ش, ص ض, ط ظ and ع غ are pairs separated by a dot.
A 2-week practice plan
| Days | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | Alif to Khaa (7 letters): name and sound |
| 4-6 | Daal to Sheen (6 letters) |
| 7-9 | Saad to Ghain (6 letters, mostly heavy and throat letters) |
| 10-12 | Faa to Yaa (10 letters) |
| 13-14 | Read the whole row in random order; point and name |
Ten minutes a day is enough. Point at a letter, say its name, and let your child repeat. Then reverse it: you say a name, your child points.
After lesson 1, children move to joined letters (murakkabat) and then harakat (short vowels). Read how long it takes to learn the Quran online or book a free trial lesson.