Arabic, one of the world's oldest languages, originated over 1,500 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula. Emerging as the language of the Qur'an, it became a medium for a wealth of philosophical, religious, and literary works.
Over time, its influence extended beyond the Arabian Peninsula, spreading knowledge, culture, and religion throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. Today, Arabic is spoken by over 400 million people worldwide and serves as the liturgical language for over a billion Muslims.
Throughout its history, various scripts, such as Nabataean and Kufic, were used to write Arabic. Currently, the Arabic script itself is used to write the language. This script has 28 primary letters and is also used for many other languages, including Persian, Urdu, and Pashto, often with slight modifications. Arabic also has a unique numerical system, which has historically influenced many other regions.
In Arabic, vowels are categorised into short vowels and long vowels.
Short vowels are represented by diacritical marks placed above or below consonants. These short vowels are typically not written in everyday Arabic text but are essential for pronunciation and clarity, especially in religious texts and language learning.
Long vowels, however, are written with specific letters: alif for a long "a" sound, yaa for a long "i" sound, and waaw for a long "u" sound. Long vowels are considered full letters in the script, making them integral to both pronunciation and the spelling of words in Arabic.
In Arabic, consonants are known as "ḥurūf" (حروف). The pronunciation of consonants in Arabic depends on the specific area in the mouth where they are made and the movement of various parts of the mouth, such as the lips, tongue, teeth, palate, and throat.
Arabic consonants interact with short and long vowels to form syllables, which combine to create meaningful words. For example, when you combine the consonant "ك" (ka) with the vowel "ت" (ta), you form the word "كت" (kat), which translates to "wrote" in Arabic.
Below is the list of consonants in Arabic.
Arabic-speaking countries also have a traditional set of numerals, known as "Eastern Arabic numerals" (٠,١,٢,٣,٤,٥,٦,٧,٨,٩,،), which are commonly used in the Middle East alongside Western Arabic numerals (0–9). Below is the list of the traditional set of numbers alongside their Western Arabic numerals:
Arabic (العربية, Al-‘Arabīyah) is a Semitic language spoken primarily in the Middle East and North Africa by over 400 million people. Currently, the Arabic script is used as the writing system for Arabic. However, throughout history, various other scripts have been used. Some of them include the Nabataean script, the Kufic script, and the Persian script. Below is a quick summary:
| Pronunciation: | [`ʕarabiː] |
| Native Name: | العربية (Al-‘Arabīyah) |
| Number of Speakers: | 400 million |
| Language family: | Afro-Asiatic (Semitic) |
| First Written: | 4th century CE |
| Writing System: | Arabic Script |
| Spoken in: | Middle East, North Africa, and parts of the Horn of Africa |
| Status: | Official language in 22 countries and recognized as a liturgical language in Islam. These countries are: Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen |
| Two digit language code: | ar |
Below is a list of complete Arabic Alphabet Chart
