Short vowels
الحَرَكات
The small marks that turn consonants into syllables.
You will learn
- Read fatḥa (a), kasra (i), ḍamma (u) and sukūn
- Sound out simple syllables
- Read short fully vowelled words
Three marks
Short vowels are small marks: fatḥa ( َ ) above = a, kasra ( ِ ) below = i, ḍamma ( ُ ) above = u. A sukūn ( ْ ) means no vowel.
- بَ — ba — b + a
- بِ — bi — b + i
- بُ — bu — b + u
Putting syllables together
Read letter by letter: كَ + تَ + بَ = kataba, 'he wrote'. Everyday texts usually leave vowels out; beginner texts include them.
- كَتَبَ — kataba — he wrote
- قَلَم — qalam — pen
Vocabulary
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| بَ | ba | b with fatḥa |
| بِ | bi | b with kasra |
| بُ | bu | b with ḍamma |
| كَتَبَ | kataba | he wrote |
| قَلَم | qalam | pen |
| وَلَد | walad | boy |
Practise this lesson with graded exercises, speaking and an AI tutor.
Start free