Learn how Arabic marks short and long vowels, consonant doubling, absence of a vowel, nunation, madda and
hamza so that spelling and pronunciation work together accurately.
بَ بِ بُ
short vowels
بَا بِي بُو
long vowels
بْ بّ
sukun and shadda
بً بٍ بٌ
tanween
Choose Your Route · اِخْتَرْ مَسَارَكَ
Use the chapter at the depth you need
Core
Recognise fatḥa, kasra and ḍamma.
Build long vowels with ا، و، ي.
Recognise sukun and shadda.
Develop
Use tanween accurately.
Distinguish short and long vowel length.
Read fully vowelled words fluently.
Stretch
Recognise madda and hamza chairs.
Distinguish hamzat al-qaṭʿ and hamzat al-waṣl.
Explain common spelling choices.
Foundation · الحَرَكَاتُ القَصِيرَةُ
The three short vowels
بَ
Fatḥa ـَ
Short a sound.
كَتَبَ
بِ
Kasra ـِ
Short i sound.
بِنْتٌ
بُ
Ḍamma ـُ
Short u sound.
كُتُبٌ
Duration rule: a short vowel is brief. Do not lengthen it unless a
long-vowel letter follows.
Short-vowel check
1. Which mark gives a short i sound?
Kasra is written below the letter.
2. Which mark appears in بُ?
بُ carries a ḍamma.
Related game practice
🟢 Explorer Challenge
Game 1 — Mark Flash
اِضْغَطْ عَلَىٰ «ابدأ».
🟢 Explorer Challenge
Game 2 — Match the Mark
🔵 Builder Challenge
Game 3 — Short or Long?
🟣 Scholar Challenge
Game 4 — Repair the Mark
Develop · الحَرَكَاتُ الطَّوِيلَةُ
How long vowels are built
Long ā
بَ + ا
↓
بَا
Fatḥa before Alif.
Long ī
بِ + ي
↓
بِي
Kasra before Yāʾ.
Long ū
بُ + و
↓
بُو
Ḍamma before Wāw.
Pattern
Example
Sound
Word example
ـَ + ا
بَا
long ā
بَابٌ
ـِ + ي
بِي
long ī
كَبِيرٌ
ـُ + و
بُو
long ū
نُورٌ
Do not guess from the consonant letter alone: Wāw and Yāʾ can function
as consonants or long-vowel letters. Context and surrounding vowels determine their role.
Long-vowel check
1. Which letter lengthens a preceding fatḥa?
Fatḥa + Alif gives long ā.
2. What sound is shown by بِي?
Kasra + Yāʾ gives long ī.
Nunation · التَّنْوِينُ
Double vowel endings on indefinite nouns and adjectives
ـً
Fatḥatān
-an
كِتَابًا
ـٍ
Kasratān
-in
كِتَابٍ
ـٌ
Ḍammatān
-un
كِتَابٌ
Meaning: tanween adds an n sound at the end. In basic
reading, it commonly signals indefiniteness, though full case usage is a wider grammar topic.
Tanween check
1. What ending appears in كِتَابٌ?
Ḍammatān gives -un.
2. What extra sound does tanween add?
Tanween adds an n sound.
Related game practice
🔵 Builder Challenge
Game 5 — Choose the Correct Tanween
No Vowel · السُّكُونُ
Sukun marks a consonant without a following vowel
بْ
The consonant closes without a vowel.
Inside a word
مَكْتَبٌ
The كْ has no vowel.
Consonant cluster
يَكْتُبُ
The sequence moves directly from كْ to تُ.
Pronunciation rule: do not insert an extra vowel after a letter
carrying sukun.
Sukun check
1. What vowel follows كْ?
Sukun means there is no vowel.
2. Which symbol marks no vowel?
The small circle is sukun.
Doubling · الشَّدَّةُ
Shadda doubles a consonant
Single consonant
بَ
ba
Doubled consonant
بَّ
bba
Word example
مُعَلِّمٌ
The lām is doubled.
Hidden structure: a shadda represents two consonants: the first is
vowelless, and the second carries the written vowel.
Shadda check
1. What does ـّ show?
Shadda marks gemination.
2. Which consonant is doubled in مُعَلِّمٌ?
The lām carries the shadda.
Madda · المَدَّةُ
آ combines a hamza and a long ā sound
آ
A glottal stop followed by long ā.
Word example
قُرْآنٌ
The sequence contains آ.
Another example
آمَنَ
Begins with madda.
Precision note: madda is written only on Alif as آ. It is not a general mark placed over every long vowel.
Madda check
1. What sound does آ represent?
Madda combines a glottal stop with long ā.
2. On which letter does madda appear?
Madda appears on Alif.
Hamza · الهَمْزَةُ
The glottal stop and its written forms
Hamza may be written independently or on a carrier, often called a “chair”. This lesson introduces
recognition and functional use; detailed medial and final hamza rules can be revisited later.
ء
On the line
أ
On Alif above
إ
On Alif below
ؤ
On Wāw
ئ
On Yāʾ chair
Form
Example
Functional note
أ
أَكَلَ
Initial hamza with fatḥa or ḍamma is commonly above Alif.
إ
إِسْلَامٌ
Initial hamza with kasra is below Alif.
ؤ
سُؤَالٌ
Hamza on Wāw.
ئ
بِئْرٌ
Hamza on Yāʾ chair.
ء
شَيْءٌ
Hamza written on the line.
Hamzat al-Qaṭʿ
أَحْمَدُ · إِنَّ
Always pronounced, whether beginning speech or linking from a previous word.
Hamzat al-Waṣl
اِسْمٌ · الكِتَابُ
Pronounced at the beginning of speech, but elided in connected speech.
Practical reading example:بِسْمِ اللهِ is
pronounced without a separate initial hamza sound in اِسْم because it is linked from
بِـ.
Hamza check
1. Where is the hamza in إِسْلَامٌ?
Initial kasra places the hamza below Alif.
2. Which type may disappear in connected speech?
Hamzat al-Waṣl is elided when linked.
Related game practice
🟣 Scholar Challenge
Game 6 — Hamza Chair
Interactive Builder · مَصْنَعُ الصَّوْتِ
Build a syllable and inspect the mark
Choose a base letter, mark and length
Skills Studio · اِسْتَعْمِلِ العَلَامَاتِ
Read, listen, speak and write with phonetic precision