A 28-letter alphabet
Arabic has 28 letters. This lesson introduces the first seven in the Miftah sequence.
You are not expected to learn the remaining letters today.
Orient
Why this matters
Today you unlock the first shapes and sounds of Arabic. You will learn a system, not a random list.
A living language
Arabic is spoken across the Arab world and beyond, and it is the language of the Qur’an.
The lesson uses Modern Standard Arabic as its formal model.
Pattern power
Six consonants arrive in two visual families. Notice the shared shape, then use the dots to tell family members apart.
The whole alphabet is larger than today’s lesson
This map has 28 places. Only the first seven are opened now; the remaining 21 stay deliberately closed for later lessons.
ابتثجحخ
Arabic across the world
Know the destination
By the end of this lesson
Choose the route that gives you the right level of support and challenge.
Secure the essentials
Recognise all seven names, identify the six consonant sounds, distinguish the two families, show the right-hand line start and form at least two letters.
Explain and form
Name and sound the six consonants, name alif, explain both dot rules and copy all seven isolated forms accurately.
Work rapidly
Recognise the seven letters quickly, discriminate the target sounds, write all seven from memory and teach the family principle.
Deepen accuracy
Focus on formal names, exact dots and formation. You may identify taught letters inside a familiar word such as تَوْبَة without being asked to learn or write that word.
Choose the pace
This Lesson’s Journey
Move through the four learning parts at a pace that suits you. Pause after any complete learn–practise–check cycle and resume with a short retrieval activity.
Alif + First Family
Direction, 28-letter framing, ا, then ب، ت، ث.
Go to Part 1 →Second Family
Retrieve Part 1, learn ج، ح، خ, then see a display-only joining awareness moment.
Go to Part 2 →Recognition + Formation
Bingo, discrimination, family sorting, careful formation and presentation preparation.
Go to Part 3 →Present + Reflect
No new core content. Retrieve, demonstrate, receive feedback, complete the final check and exit ticket.
Go to Part 4 →Flexible route: This lesson is not tied to a particular
timetable. Complete one part, several parts or the whole page, pausing after a complete learning and
practice cycle.
Part 1 · Start
Alif and the First Family ا · ب · ت · ث
Begin with line direction, then meet alif separately before noticing the first shared shape family.
Starter: Which side begins an Arabic line?
Arabic lines begin on the right-hand side and progress towards the left. This is a line-level direction rule. It is not a stroke-order diagram for an individual letter.
START HERE · RIGHT
Quick check · line start
Tap the side where an Arabic line begins.
Introductory letter · separate from both families
اأَلِف
- Recognise the bare display shape ا.
- Say its name: أَلِف.
- Place it first in the Arabic alphabet.
- Keep it outside the two families in this lesson.
Listening practice · alif and the first family
🎧 Recorded audio.Listen once, point to each
matching letter, then repeat the full letter name clearly.
Listening script
أَلِفٌ. بَاءٌ. تَاءٌ. ثَاءٌ.
Response task: write the four letters in the order heard, then circle the letter with one dot below.
Type the four letters in the order heard. You can circle the one-dot-below letter on screen or on paper.
Write with a mouse, finger or pen. Handwriting is not recognised or scored automatically.
Complete this task on paper, then return here to check or record your result.
Check answers
ا، ب، ت، ث. The circled letter is ب.
Not yet marked complete.
Letter family 1 · one shared base shape
Look first at the shared body. Then inspect the number and position of the dots.
ب
بَاء
One dot below
Consonant sound /b/
ت
تَاء
Two dots above
Consonant sound /t/
ث
ثَاء
Three dots above
Consonant sound /θ/
Pronunciation focus
ب
/b/ — close both lips, then release with voice, as at
the start of English “book”.
ت
/t/ — a clear voiceless t; keep the tongue
inside the mouth.
ث
/θ/ — place the tongue tip lightly between the teeth,
as in English “thin”. Do not turn it into /t/ or /s/.
Hear the letter name → select the letter
A partner reads the cue aloud and hides it before you choose. No transliteration is used.
Hear a consonant sound → select the letter
Alif is not included because this lesson does not assign it one fixed standalone sound.
Mini-Check 1
Answer before feedback appears. Each explanation tells you what to notice.
Which is alif?
Which letter has one dot below?
Which letter has two dots above?
In this lesson, أَلِف is
taught as…
Part 2 · Build
Both Families ب، ت، ث · ج، ح، خ
Retrieve alif and the first family, then add the shared bowl-shaped family.
Quick retrieval · earlier learning
Names may be cued for the four letters already taught. Sounds are cued only for the three consonants.
Letter family 2 · the shared bowl shape
The body is shared. The dot position tells you which family member you are seeing.
ج
جِيم
One dot inside or below the bowl
Consonant sound /d͡ʒ/
ح
حَاء
No dot
Consonant sound /ħ/
خ
خَاء
One dot above
Consonant sound /x/ or /χ/
Pronunciation focus · Modern Standard Arabic model
ج
/d͡ʒ/ — approximately the sound at the beginning of
English “jam”. Heritage learners may know respectful dialect pronunciations such as /g/ or /ʒ/; this lesson and its checks use the
MSA model /d͡ʒ/.
ح
/ħ/ — a strong, voiceless breath from deeper in the
throat. It is not the ordinary English h.
خ
/x/ or /χ/ — friction
at the back of the mouth or throat, similar to the sound in Scottish “loch”. Do not replace it with
/k/.
🎧 Recorded audio.Listen, point to the matching
letter and repeat each name clearly.
Listening script
جِيمٌ. حَاءٌ. خَاءٌ.
Response task: write the three letters in the order heard, then underline the letter with no dot.
Check answers
ج، ح، خ. The underlined letter is ح.
Hear the letter name → select the bowl-family letter
Listen for the full letter name, then choose the isolated shape.
Hear a consonant sound → select the bowl-family letter
Use the Modern Standard Arabic model for ج.
Sort the seven letters
Select a letter, then select its correct home: Alif by itself, Family 1, or Family 2.
Dot detective · count, position and odd one out
Use both the shape family and the dot rule.
Which bowl-family letter has one dot inside or below?
Which bowl-family letter has no dot?
Which bowl-family letter has one dot above?
Odd one out: which does not belong to a three-letter family?
A first look only · letters later connect and change shape
أبجد
Display only. Do not read it, copy it, spell it, analyse it or use it as a writing model. It simply shows that Arabic letters may connect and change shape inside words. Joining is taught later.
Mini-Check 2
Check both families and the seven-name / six-sound distinction.
Which set is Family 1?
Which set is Family 2?
Which letter uses the MSA consonant model /d͡ʒ/?
How many consonant sounds are taught in this lesson?
What should you do with the joined sample?
Part 3 · Practise and apply
Recognition and Formation
Retrieve all seven letters, sharpen sound discrimination and form isolated letters carefully without confusing line direction with letter stroke order.
Retrieval game · sound-and-name bingo
Generate a four-cell board. A partner calls names for all seven letters and may call consonant sounds for the six consonants.
Caller script
Mix full names with consonant sounds. For example: أَلِف, /b/, تَاء, /θ/, جِيم, /ħ/, خَاء. Never call a fixed sound for alif.
Two different ideas: line direction and letter formation
Line direction
Successive letters or words are placed from the right-hand side towards the left along an Arabic line.
Individual letter stroke order
Each letter has its own verified entry point and sequence. A leftward line arrow cannot tell you how to draw every letter.
RIGHT-HAND START
Formation workshop · isolated forms only
Study each model, then follow this learning sequence: watch → air-write → trace → copy → write from memory.
Type, write or draw all seven isolated forms from memory after practising the models.
Write with a mouse, finger or pen. Handwriting is not recognised or scored automatically.
Complete this task on paper, then return here to check or record your result.
اأَلِف
1 Begin at the top2 Draw one
straight downward stroke
اااا
ببَاء
1 Draw the shared bowl from right to
left2 Add one dot below
بببب
تتَاء
1 Draw the shared bowl from right to
left2 Add two dots above
تتتت
ثثَاء
1 Draw the shared bowl from right to
left2 Add three dots above
ثثثث
ججِيم
1 Draw the upper curve and lower
bowl2 Add one dot inside/below the bowl
جججج
ححَاء
1 Draw the upper curve and lower
bowl2 Leave the letter without a dot
حححح
خخَاء
1 Draw the upper curve and lower
bowl2 Add one dot above
خخخخ
Formation evidence selected: 0 of 7.
Not yet marked complete.
Sound discrimination circuit
Listen closely: /t/ versus /θ/, then /ħ/ versus /x/ or /χ/.
Name or sound?
A partner reads the cue aloud. Decide whether you heard a full letter name or an isolated consonant sound.
Family matching and rapid recognition
Choose the best description for each displayed letter.
ب
ث
ح
ا
Prepare: My Letter Family عَائِلَةُ حُرُوفِي
Choose Family 1 or Family 2. Use the checklist to rehearse a 60–90-second show-and-say demonstration.
Student rehearsal checklist
Choose a dignified route
- Default: individual presentation.
- Paired: share the family demonstration.
- Quiet route: complete the same checklist with one trusted partner.
- No recording required: live observation is sufficient evidence.
Feedback
Common mix-ups and repairs
A mistake is useful when the feedback tells you exactly what to notice next.
| Likely mix-up | Repair cue |
|---|---|
| Treating alif as a member of Family 1 | Place ا visibly first and separate. Say the name أَلِف; do not demand a fixed sound. |
| Calling the letter name its consonant sound | Contrast the full name, such as بَاء, with the short isolated consonant sound /b/. |
| Mixing ب، ت، ث | Cover the dots, notice the shared body, then uncover and count: one below, two above, three above. |
| Placing the dot of ج above | Point to the inside/below position. Compare directly with خ, whose dot is above. |
| Adding a dot to ح | Say: “same bowl, no dot.” |
| Pronouncing ث as /t/ | Make the tongue visible lightly between the teeth for /θ/. |
| Pronouncing ح like ordinary English h | Use a deeper, voiceless breath without the rough friction of خ. |
| Pronouncing خ as /k/ | Sustain friction at the back, like the sound in Scottish “loch”. |
| Using a dialect value for ج in the formal check | Acknowledge the dialect respectfully, then return to the MSA lesson model /d͡ʒ/. |
| Using the line arrow as a stroke-order rule | Restate: line direction places items across the line; each letter has its own formation sequence. |
| Trying to copy or decode the joined sample | Cover it and say: “awareness only; joining is later.” Return to isolated forms. |
| Dots too far from the letter body | Return to the formation workshop and focus on controlled, consistent dot placement. |
Continue
Resource centre and continuation
Use these ready-to-use lesson tools for practice, review and printing.
Formation practice
Return to the seven illustrated formation cards, tracing rows and practice tracker.
Open formation workshopInteractive practice
Repeat the recognition, family-sorting, bingo and sound-discrimination activities on this page.
Open practice sectionPrintable lesson
Use your browser’s print command to save or print the lesson, formation models and practice tasks.
Part 4 · Demonstrate and reflect
Performance Complete
There is no new core content in this final part. Retrieve, rehearse briefly, present, respond to an audience challenge and make the next teaching decision.
Quick-fire mixed retrieval
Sample names and sounds without adding new content.
Final performance: My Letter Family عَائِلَةُ حُرُوفِي
Show this evidence
- Introduce ا as أَلِف, the first letter.
- Present ب، ت، ث or ج، ح، خ.
- Say the three consonant sounds.
- Explain the dot rule.
- Point to the right-hand line start.
- Form one isolated letter using the model.
- Answer one audience challenge.
Audience challenge menu
- “Point to خَاء.”
- “Which letter has two dots on top?”
- “Which letter comes first in the alphabet?”
- “How many letters does Arabic have?”
- “Show me where an Arabic line starts.”
Positive comment stem: “One thing that was clear was…”
Performance checklist
Not yet marked complete.
Final eight-item self-marking check
Your first completed score is saved on this device when local storage is available. Feedback is for improvement, not ranking.
1. Select alif.
2. Select the letter with one dot below.
3. Select the letter with three dots above.
4. Select the bowl-family letter with no dot.
5. Which letter matches /x/ or /χ/?
6. Which letter uses the MSA model /d͡ʒ/?
7. Where does an Arabic line begin?
8. Which statement is accurate?
Reflection and next step
Not yet marked complete.
Exit ticket · hear the name → select the Arabic letter
Four oral prompts, Arabic choices only, no transliteration.
Not yet
marked complete.