Arabic Alphabet | الأبجدية العربية
The Arabic alphabet consists of 28 letters and is written from right to left. Each letter can have up to four different forms depending on its position in a word.
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About the Arabic Alphabet
The Arabic alphabet is the second most widely used alphabetic writing system in the world. It is used to write Arabic, as well as several other languages including Persian, Urdu, and Pashto. The script is cursive, meaning that most letters connect to adjacent letters in a word.
History
The Arabic alphabet evolved from the Nabataean script, which itself descended from Aramaic. The earliest known Arabic inscription dates back to 512 CE. The script was standardized during the early Islamic period and has remained largely unchanged since the 7th century. The addition of diacritical marks (tashkeel) helped distinguish between similar letters and indicate vowels.
Key Features
- Written from right to left
- 28 letters in the basic alphabet
- Most letters have four different forms (isolated, initial, medial, final)
- Cursive script where most letters connect
- Diacritical marks indicate short vowels
- No distinction between upper and lower case