Arabic Alphabet Practice: Alif, Baa & Taa (ا ب ت)

Welcome! Arabic is written from right to left — don’t worry, you’ll get used to it fast. Here’s your first secret: tap any Arabic word to hear it, anywhere in this lesson.

Meet the letters

These are the first three letters of the Arabic alphabet. Click each card to hear its name and its sound.

Notice something? Arabic letters have short vowels written above or below them (أَ is “a”, إِ is “i”, أُ is “u”). They’re called harakat, and they’re the key to sounding natural.

Letters in action

Remember how the letters change shape at the start, middle, and end of a word? Here’s ب doing exactly that:

Tip: practice writing the letters from right to left, just like reading. Your muscle memory will thank you later.

A real conversation

Let’s put the letters to work. This is a classic Arabic greeting. Press Play all to hear the whole exchange, or tap any bubble to repeat one line.

Try clicking Hide translations and listening again — can you still follow?

Your first words

Flip each card to reveal the meaning, then flip it back and test yourself.

Test yourself

Cover the answer first — say it out loud, then reveal and compare.

Match the letters

Now the real test — pair each letter with its transliteration.

Wrap up

You now know three letters, their sounds, and your first real words. Arabic looks unfamiliar at first, but it’s just a new code — and you’re already cracking it.

Scroll down to the final quiz and prove it. 🎯