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Writing Systems Technical Resources

Grapheme Data for Arabic written with Arabic script

This data is for Modern Standard Arabic (MSA).

Sources:

We did not include gemination over all consonants. It is likely that shadda (for gemination) can occur over other consonants. However, the use of shadda is rare in MSA and examples over other consonants proved difficult to find.

This information is purely a start on documenting the phonemes for MSA. We welcome feedback.

Contributor: Lorna Evans

Grapheme USV Phoneme Status Example Notes
<ء> 0621 /ʔ/ expected أنباء ‘news’ no preceding vowel
<آ> 0622 /aː/ expected آب ‘August’ word initial only
<أ> 0623 /ʔ/ expected أنباء ‘news’ word initial: following vowel is either fatha or damma; word final: preceding vowel is fatha
<ؤ> 0624 /ʔ/ expected يؤمن ‘he is made safe, one is safe’ word medial or word final: preceding vowel is damma
<إ> 0625 /ʔ/ expected إبل ‘camel’ word initial: following vowel is kasra
<ئ> 0626 /ʔ/ expected زائر ‘visitor’ word medial or word final: preceding vowel is kasra
<ا> 0627 /a/ expected ابي ‘my father’ word initial
<ا> 0627 /aː/ expected احتجاج ‘protest’
<ب◌ّ> 0628 0651 /bː/ rare تنبّؤ ‘prediction’
<ب> 0628 /b/ expected مكتبه ‘his office’
<ة> 0629 /t/ expected ضرورة ‘necessity’ word final only for feminine ending
<ت◌ّ> 062A 0651 /tː/ rare كاتب كتّاب ‘writer’
<ت> 062A /t/ expected مكتبه ‘his office’, تقريري ‘my report’
<ث◌ّ> 062B 0651 /θː/ rare ممثّل ‘representative’
<ث> 062B /θ/ expected ثالث ‘third’, ثلاثة ‘three’
<ج> 062C /dʒ/ expected مجلتنا ‘our magazine’
<ج> 062C /ʒ/ expected مجلتنا ‘our magazine’
<ج> 062C /g/ expected مجلتنا ‘our magazine’
<ح> 062D /ħ/ expected احتجاج ‘protest’
<خ> 062E /x/ expected أخبار ‘news’
<د◌ّ> 062F 0651 /dː/ rare مدّة ‘duration’
<د> 062F /d/ expected مدرسة ‘school’
<ذ> 0630 /ð/ expected أستاذ ‘professor’
<ر◌ّ> 0631 0651 /rː/ rare مرّة ‘once’
<ر> 0631 /r/ expected صورته ‘his picture’
<ز> 0632 /z/ expected وزارة ‘ministry’
<س◌ّ> 0633 0651 /sː/ rare السّودان Sudan’
<س> 0633 /s/ expected مستشفى ‘hospital’
<ش> 0634 /ʃ/ expected مستشفى ‘hospital’
<ص◌ّ> 0635 0651 /sˤː/ rare نصّ ‘text’
<ص> 0635 /sˤ/ expected صورته ‘his picture’
<ض> 0636 /dˤ/ expected ضرورة ‘necessity’
<ط> 0637 /tˤ/ expected مطار ‘airport’
<ظ◌ّ> 0638 0651 /zˤː/ rare منظّمة ‘organization’
<ظ> 0638 /zˤ/ expected منظّمة ‘organization (the body)’
<ظ> 0638 /ðˤ/ expected منظّمة ‘organization (the body)’
<ع> 0639 /ʕ/ expected صناعة ‘industry’ سعر ‘price’, أسبوع ‘week’
<غ> 063A /ɣ/ expected غرب ‘west’, مبلغ ‘amount’
<ف> 0641 /f/ expected فقير ‘poor’, مستشفى ‘hospital’
<ق> 0642 /q/ expected تقريري ‘my report’, فقير ‘poor’
<ك◌ّ> 0643 0651 /kː/ rare ساكن سكّان ‘resident population’
<ك> 0643 /k/ expected مكتبه ‘his office’
<ل◌ّ> 0644 0651 /lː/ rare تلّ ‘hill’
<ل> 0644 /l/ expected مجلتنا ‘our magazine’
<م◌ّ> 0645 0651 /mː/ rare عامّل ‘worker’
<م> 0645 /m/ expected مكتبه ‘his office’, طائرتهم ‘their aeroplane’
<ن◌ّ> 0646 0651 /nː/ rare فنّي ‘technical’
<ن> 0646 /n/ expected مجلتنا ‘our magazine’
<ه> 0647 /h/ expected طائرتهم ‘their aeroplane’, صورته ‘his picture’
<و◌ّ> 0648 0651 /wː/ rare ملوّن ‘coloured’
<و> 0648 /w/ expected صورته ‘his picture’
<و> 0648 /uː/ expected مسرور ‘pleased’
<ى> 0649 /a/ expected مستشفى ‘hospital’ word final only
<ي◌ّ> 064A 0651 /jː/ rare سيّد سادة ‘Mr.’
<ي> 064A /j/ expected يوم ‘day’
<ي> 064A /iː/ expected غربي ‘western’
<◌ً> 064B /ã/ rare عادةً ‘usually’
<◌ٌ> 064C /ũ/ rare غَفُورٌ ‘forgiving’
<◌ٍ> 064D /ĩ/ rare قاصٍ ‘narrator’
<◌َ> 064E /a/ rare كَيْفَ حا لُكَ ‘how are you’
<◌ُ> 064F /u/ rare كَيْفَ حا لُكَ ‘how are you’
<◌ِ> 0650 /i/ rare مَوْعِد ‘appointment’
<◌ْ> 0652 /∅/ expected كَيْفَ حا لُكَ ‘how are you’