Alif is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. It is a tall straight line, written ا, with no dots and no curve.
This lesson stays on that line and the three short sounds that can sit on it. Full words come after the sound is steady.
What Does Alif Look Like?
ا is one stroke. Nothing else is attached: no dots, no bowl, and no tail.
Play it once and keep your eyes on ا. Play it again, and say the sound while you are still looking at the line.
How Alif Sounds
The short sounds come from the small marks above or below the letter. On their own, the marks are not words. They tell you which short vowel to say.
Does Alif Connect?
Alif does not join to the letter after it. A letter before it can join in from the right. The letter that follows starts a new shape.
In this series, the letters that work that way are ا د ذ ر ز و. Alif is the first of them.
Alif with Short Vowels
A beginner copy of the Quran usually prints these marks. The three you meet first are the short a, the short i, and the short u.
Alif with Fatha
اَ
Sound: a.
Look at اَ. Say a. Pause. Say it again.
Alif with Kasra
اِ
Sound: i.
Look at اِ. Say i.
Alif with Damma
اُ
Sound: u.
Look at اُ. Say u.
Simple Practice
Read these slowly. Listen first, then say the sound with your eyes on the letter.
Want the letters in order?
This article sits on the same path as the course. There you hear the sound, try it, and come back the next day.
See the courseاَ a
اِ i
اُ u
Then all three: a, i, u.
How to Practise for Two Minutes
Look at ا. Say the sound. Then say اَ اِ اُ three times while you watch the marks. Write ا five times, from right to left.
Where This Fits in Your Path
Alif opens the alphabet line. After it comes Ba (ب). Later you spend more time on the short vowels, the stop mark, joining, and short words from the Quran.
The full order, from the first letter to short chapters, is in how to learn to read the Quran. If you want the audio and the steps set for you, the interactive 30-day course starts from no Arabic at all.
What Should You Remember?
Alif is written ا. It is a straight line with no dots. With fatha the sound is a, with kasra it is i, and with damma it is u.
FAQs
What is Alif in Arabic?
Alif is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. It is written ا.
Is Alif easy to recognise?
It is a straight line, and it has no dots.
What are the three basic vowel sounds with Alif?
اَ is a, اِ is i, and اُ is u.
Should beginners learn full words straight away?
Learn the letter and these three sounds first. Full words can come after that.
Why start with Alif?
It is the first letter, and the straight line keeps showing up on the page. These three sounds are the ones to practise before you move to Ba.
