Understanding Arabic Harakat: A Guide for Beginners

Arabic Harakat

When learning Arabic, it’s important to understand harakat (حَرَكَات). These are small symbols placed above or below Arabic letters that represent short vowels. They help guide pronunciation and make reading easier, especially for beginners and those reading the Quran.

In this guide, we’ll explore the different harakat, their roles in Arabic, and some additional symbols that are essential for understanding the language.

What Are Arabic Harakat?

In Arabic, vowels can be both long and short. The three long vowels in Arabic are written as full letters:

  • ا = ā
  • و = ū
  • ي = ī

However, short vowels are written as small symbols called harakat, and they are placed above or below the consonants. These short vowels are essential for proper pronunciation but are often left out in modern Arabic writing, as native speakers can easily infer the sounds.

Arabic Harakat

The Three Short Vowels (Fatha, Damma, Kasra)

Arabic has three main short vowel sounds that are indicated by specific harakat:

1. Fatha (ـــَــ)

Fatha is a small diagonal line placed above a letter, representing the short “a” sound, like the “a” in “cat.”

  • Sound: Short “a” (like the “a” in “cat”)
  • Placement: A small diagonal stroke above the letter
  • Example: بَ (ba)

Words with Fatḥa (ــَــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
بَيتbaythouse
قَلَمqalampen
كَبيرkabīrbig
فَتحfatḥopening
كَلبkalbdog
نَهرnahrriver
صَغيرṣaghīrsmall
كَتَبkatabahe wrote
سَعيدsa‘īdhappy
وَقتwaqttime

2. Damma (ـــُــ)

Damma is a small “comma”-shaped mark placed above a letter, representing the short “u” sound, like the “u” in “put.”

  • Sound: Short “u” (like the “u” in “put”)
  • Placement: A small looped symbol, like a tiny و (wāw), placed above the letter
  • Example: بُ (bu)

Words with Damma (ــُــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
بُستانbustāngarden
كُتبkutubbooks
بُردةburdacloak
جُبنjubncheese
نُجومnujūmstars
طُلابṭullābstudents
عُصفور‘uṣfūrbird
طُلابṭullābstudents
كُرسيkursīchair

3. Kasra (ـــِــ)

Kasra is a small diagonal line placed below a letter, representing the short “i” sound, like the “i” in “sit.”

  • Sound: Short “i” (like the “i” in “sit”)
  • Placement: A small diagonal stroke placed below the letter
  • Example: بِ (bi)

Words with Kasra (ــِــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
بِنتbintgirl
كِتابkitābbook
طِفلṭiflchild
قِردqirdmonkey
صِدقṣidqtruth
لِسانlisāntongue
سِرsirrsecret
طِفلَةṭiflababy girl
ذِئبdhi’bwolf
بِسَاطbisāṭcarpet

Here is the list of Arabic letters with harakat:

Arabic LettersFathaKasraDhamma
اأَإِأُ
ببَبِبُ
تتَتِتُ
ثثَثِثُ
ججَجِجُ
ححَحِحُ
خخَخِخُ
ددَدِدُ
ذذَذِذُ
ررَرِرُ
ززَزِزُ
سسَسِسُ
ششَشِشُ
صصَصِصُ
ضضَضِضُ
ططَطِطُ
ظظَظِظُ
ععَعِعُ
غغَغِغُ
ففَفِفُ
ققَقِقُ
ككَكِكُ
للَلِلُ
ممَمِمُ
ننَنِنُ
ههَـهِـهُـ
ووَوِوُ
ييَيِيُ
Arabic Alphabet

Long Vowels in Arabic

Long vowels are written as full letters and are not indicated by harakat. Here are the long vowels and their corresponding sounds:

  • ا (ā): As in بَا (bā)
  • و (ū): As in بُو (bū)
  • ي (ī): As in بِي (bī)

Unlike short vowels, these are not simply symbols but actual letters that extend the sound of the vowel.

These long vowels are also known as the letters of prolongation (أَحْرُفُ المَدّ) or weak letters (أَحْرُفُ العِلَّة). They help extend the sound of the short vowels (fatḥa, kasra, and dhamma) and play an important role in both writing and pronunciation.

1. The Alif (ـا) – The Long Fatḥa

The alif (ـا) is the long vowel that lengthens the sound of a fatḥa from ‘a’ to ‘aa’. It is called a long fatḥa because it prolongs the short vowel “a” sound.

  • Pronunciation: [aa]
  • Key Rule: The alif is always saakina (it has a sukun), meaning it does not carry a vowel sound of its own. The letter before the alif must have a fatḥa over it.
  • Position: The alif never appears at the beginning of words, since it cannot start a word with a vowel sound.

Examples:

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
شَاهِدshāhidwitness
كَاتِبkātibwriter
لَاعِبlā‘ibplayer
بَابbābdoor

2. The Yaa (ـيـ) – The Long Kasra

The yaa (ـيـ) is the long vowel that lengthens the sound of a kasra from ‘i’ to ‘ii’. It is called a long kasra because it stretches the short “i” sound.

  • Pronunciation: [ii]
  • Key Rule: Like the alif, the yaa is always saakina and the letter before it must have a kasra beneath it.
  • Position: When the yaa appears at the beginning of a word, it functions as a consonant rather than a vowel.

Examples:

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
جَمِيلjamīlbeautiful
خَبِيرkhabīrexpert
سَعِيدsa‘īdhappy
طَبِيبṭabībdoctor
قَلِيلqalīlfew

3. The Waaw (ـو) – The Long Dhamma

The waaw (ـو) is the long vowel that extends the sound of a dhamma from ‘u’ to ‘uu’. It is called a long dhamma because it prolongs the short vowel “u” sound.

  • Pronunciation: [uu]
  • Key Rule: The waaw is always saakina, and the letter before it must have a dhamma on top of it.
  • Position: Like the alif, the waaw never begins a word when acting as a vowel.

Examples:

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
خَرُوفkharūfsheep
ثُومthūmgarlic
نُورnūrlight
صُورَةṣūrapicture

Arabic Letters Vowels (Long Vowels)

Arabic LettersAlifYaaWaaw
اآإِيأُو
ببَابِيبُو
تتَاتِيتُو
ثثَاثِيثُو
ججَاجِيجُو
ححَاحِيحُو
خخَاخِيخُو
ددَادِيدُو
ذذَاذِيذُو
ررَارِيرُو
ززَازِيزُو
سسَاسِيسُو
ششَاشِيشُو
صصَاصِيصُو
ضضَاضِيضُو
ططَاطِيطُو
ظظَاظِيظُو
ععَاعِيعُو
غغَاغِيغُو
ففَافِيفُو
ققَاقِيقُو
ككَاكِيكُو
للاَلِيلُو
ممَامِيمُو
ننَانِينُو
ههَاهِيهُو
ووَاوِيوُو
ييَايِييُو

Moving vs. Still Letters

In Arabic, if a letter is followed by a ḥaraka (a short vowel), it’s called a moving letter (حَرْفٌ مُتَحَرِّك) pronounced [ḥarfun motaḥarrik]. However, if the letter is not followed by a vowel, it’s called a still letter (حَرْفٌ سَاْكِن) pronounced [ḥarfun Sākin].

Sukūn (ــْــ): Indicating No Vowel

The Sukūn symbol shows the absence of a vowel. It’s written as a small circle above a letter, and it means that the consonant is pronounced without a vowel sound after it. For example:

  • بْ (b) in تِبْن (tibn) means the “b” sound is not followed by any vowel.

Words with Sukūn (ــْــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
صِدقṣidqtruth
مَسْجدmasjidmosque
قَلْبqalbheart
طِفلَةṭiflababy girl
قِردqirdmonkey
نَجْمnajmstar
طِفْلṭiflchild
شَمْسshamssun
كُرسيkursīChair
بِنتبِنتgirl

Shadda (ـــّــ): Doubling a Consonant

When a consonant occurs twice without a vowel in between, it’s written once with a Shadda symbol above it. The Shadda looks like a small “w” and represents the doubling of the consonant. For example:

  • فَرَّ (farra) means “he ran,” where the رّ (r) is doubled in pronunciation.

Note: When a Shadda is combined with a short vowel:

  • Fatḥa: Written above the Shadda, as in يَفَرّ (yafarro)
  • Damma: Also written above the Shadda, as in يَفَرُّ (yafarro)
  • Kasra: Written below the Shadda but above the letter, as in بَطِّيخ (batteikh), meaning “watermelon”

Words with Shadda (ــّــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
كَتَّبَkattabahe made (someone) write
فَرَّfarrahe ran away
مَدَّmaddahe extended
أَمَّلَammalhe hoped
سَمَّعَsamma‘ahe made (someone) listen
رَبَّىrabbāhe raised
صَلَّىṣallāhe prayed
أَكَرَّرakarrarI repeat
شَدَّدَshaddadahe emphasized
عَلَّمَ‘allamahe taught

Tanween: Doubling the Vowel at the End of Words

Tanwīn (تنوين) is a diacritic that appears at the end of indefinite nouns and adjectives, and it represents the doubling of a vowel sound. The three types of Tanwīn are:

1. Tanween al-fatḥa (ــًــ)

  • Sound: “an”
  • Placement: Two short diagonal strokes above the letter
  • Example: أهلاً (ahlan), meaning “welcome”

Words with Tanwīn Fatḥa (ــًــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
بَيتًاbaytana house
كِتابًاkitābana book
عِلْمًا‘ilmanknowledge
حَديقَةًḥadīqatana garden
قَلبًاqalbana heart
بَحرًاbaḥrana sea
وَلَدًاwaladana boy
صَديقًاṣadīqana friend
قِطًّاqiṭṭana cat
جَبلًاjabalana mountain

2. Tanwīn aḍ-ḍamma (ــٌــ)

  • Sound: “un”
  • Placement: Two damma symbols above the letter
  • Example: أمٌ (ommun), meaning “mother”

Words with Tanwīn Damma (ــٌــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
بَيتٌbaytuna house
قَلبٌqalbuna heart
نَهرٌnahruna river
كِتابٌkitābuna book
بُستانٌbustānuna garden
طِفلٌṭifluna child
سَريرٌsarīruna bed
قِطٌّqiṭṭuna cat
كَلبٌkalbuna dog
عِلْمٌ‘ilmunknowledge

3. Tanwīn al-kasra (ــٍــ)

  • Sound: “in”
  • Placement: Two kasra symbols below the letter
  • Example: بِقَلْبٍ (biqalbin), meaning “with a heart”

Words with Tanwīn Kasra (ــٍــ)

Arabic WordPronunciationMeaning
كِتابٍkitābina book
قَلبٍqalbina heart
حَديقَةٍḥadīqatingarden
بَيتٍbaytina house
طِفلٍṭiflina child
نَهرٍnahrina river
سَريرٍsarīrina bed
بَحْرٍbaḥrina sea
وَقتٍwaqtintime
كَلبٍkalbina dog

Note: In some cases, Tanwīn al-fatḥa is written on the letter ا (alif), as in أهلاً (ahlan). But there are exceptions, such as when the final consonant is تاء مربوطة (Taa’ MarbuTa) or ء (Hamza).

In Arabic writing, the short vowel signs (ḥarakāt), Sukūn, Shadda, and Tanwīn are all part of what’s called šakl (شَكْل), which means “form” or “shape.” These signs are often left out in modern writing but are used in important texts like the Quran, poetry, and sometimes for decorative purposes.

Conclusion and Tips for Learners

Understanding Arabic harakat is an essential part of learning the language, especially for mastering pronunciation. Here are a few tips to help you practice:

  • Start with simple texts, like children’s books or beginner-level Arabic lessons, that include ḥarakāt.
  • Reading the Quran can be very helpful, as it always includes ḥarakāt for accurate pronunciation.
  • Use apps or online resources that teach Arabic pronunciation with ḥarakāt for guided learning.

By mastering these small marks, you’ll improve your Arabic reading and pronunciation skills, making it easier to learn the language.

This guide should make it clearer how to use ḥarakāt and other important Arabic symbols. Happy learning!