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.
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
بَيت | bayt | house |
قَلَم | qalam | pen |
كَبير | kabīr | big |
فَتح | fatḥ | opening |
كَلب | kalb | dog |
نَهر | nahr | river |
صَغير | ṣaghīr | small |
كَتَب | kataba | he wrote |
سَعيد | sa‘īd | happy |
وَقت | waqt | time |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
بُستان | bustān | garden |
كُتب | kutub | books |
بُردة | burda | cloak |
جُبن | jubn | cheese |
نُجوم | nujūm | stars |
طُلاب | ṭullāb | students |
عُصفور | ‘uṣfūr | bird |
طُلاب | ṭullāb | students |
كُرسي | kursī | chair |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
بِنت | bint | girl |
كِتاب | kitāb | book |
طِفل | ṭifl | child |
قِرد | qird | monkey |
صِدق | ṣidq | truth |
لِسان | lisān | tongue |
سِر | sirr | secret |
طِفلَة | ṭifla | baby girl |
ذِئب | dhi’b | wolf |
بِسَاط | bisāṭ | carpet |
Here is the list of Arabic letters with harakat:
Arabic Letters | Fatha | Kasra | Dhamma |
ا | أَ | إِ | أُ |
ب | بَ | بِ | بُ |
ت | تَ | تِ | تُ |
ث | ثَ | ثِ | ثُ |
ج | جَ | جِ | جُ |
ح | حَ | حِ | حُ |
خ | خَ | خِ | خُ |
د | دَ | دِ | دُ |
ذ | ذَ | ذِ | ذُ |
ر | رَ | رِ | رُ |
ز | زَ | زِ | زُ |
س | سَ | سِ | سُ |
ش | شَ | شِ | شُ |
ص | صَ | صِ | صُ |
ض | ضَ | ضِ | ضُ |
ط | طَ | طِ | طُ |
ظ | ظَ | ظِ | ظُ |
ع | عَ | عِ | عُ |
غ | غَ | غِ | غُ |
ف | فَ | فِ | فُ |
ق | قَ | قِ | قُ |
ك | كَ | كِ | كُ |
ل | لَ | لِ | لُ |
م | مَ | مِ | مُ |
ن | نَ | نِ | نُ |
ه | هَـ | هِـ | هُـ |
و | وَ | وِ | وُ |
ي | يَ | يِ | يُ |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
شَاهِد | shāhid | witness |
كَاتِب | kātib | writer |
لَاعِب | lā‘ib | player |
بَاب | bāb | door |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
جَمِيل | jamīl | beautiful |
خَبِير | khabīr | expert |
سَعِيد | sa‘īd | happy |
طَبِيب | ṭabīb | doctor |
قَلِيل | qalīl | few |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
خَرُوف | kharūf | sheep |
ثُوم | thūm | garlic |
نُور | nūr | light |
صُورَة | ṣūra | picture |
Arabic Letters Vowels (Long Vowels)
Arabic Letters | Alif | Yaa | Waaw |
ا | آ | إِي | أُو |
ب | بَا | بِي | بُو |
ت | تَا | تِي | تُو |
ث | ثَا | ثِي | ثُو |
ج | جَا | جِي | جُو |
ح | حَا | حِي | حُو |
خ | خَا | خِي | خُو |
د | دَا | دِي | دُو |
ذ | ذَا | ذِي | ذُو |
ر | رَا | رِي | رُو |
ز | زَا | زِي | زُو |
س | سَا | سِي | سُو |
ش | شَا | شِي | شُو |
ص | صَا | صِي | صُو |
ض | ضَا | ضِي | ضُو |
ط | طَا | طِي | طُو |
ظ | ظَا | ظِي | ظُو |
ع | عَا | عِي | عُو |
غ | غَا | غِي | غُو |
ف | فَا | فِي | فُو |
ق | قَا | قِي | قُو |
ك | كَا | كِي | كُو |
ل | لاَ | لِي | لُو |
م | مَا | مِي | مُو |
ن | نَا | نِي | نُو |
ه | هَا | هِي | هُو |
و | وَا | وِي | وُو |
ي | يَا | يِي | يُو |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
صِدق | ṣidq | truth |
مَسْجد | masjid | mosque |
قَلْب | qalb | heart |
طِفلَة | ṭifla | baby girl |
قِرد | qird | monkey |
نَجْم | najm | star |
طِفْل | ṭifl | child |
شَمْس | shams | sun |
كُرسي | kursī | Chair |
بِنت | بِنت | girl |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
كَتَّبَ | kattaba | he made (someone) write |
فَرَّ | farra | he ran away |
مَدَّ | madda | he extended |
أَمَّلَ | ammal | he hoped |
سَمَّعَ | samma‘a | he made (someone) listen |
رَبَّى | rabbā | he raised |
صَلَّى | ṣallā | he prayed |
أَكَرَّر | akarrar | I repeat |
شَدَّدَ | shaddada | he emphasized |
عَلَّمَ | ‘allama | he 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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
بَيتًا | baytan | a house |
كِتابًا | kitāban | a book |
عِلْمًا | ‘ilman | knowledge |
حَديقَةً | ḥadīqatan | a garden |
قَلبًا | qalban | a heart |
بَحرًا | baḥran | a sea |
وَلَدًا | waladan | a boy |
صَديقًا | ṣadīqan | a friend |
قِطًّا | qiṭṭan | a cat |
جَبلًا | jabalan | a 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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
بَيتٌ | baytun | a house |
قَلبٌ | qalbun | a heart |
نَهرٌ | nahrun | a river |
كِتابٌ | kitābun | a book |
بُستانٌ | bustānun | a garden |
طِفلٌ | ṭiflun | a child |
سَريرٌ | sarīrun | a bed |
قِطٌّ | qiṭṭun | a cat |
كَلبٌ | kalbun | a dog |
عِلْمٌ | ‘ilmun | knowledge |
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 Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
---|---|---|
كِتابٍ | kitābin | a book |
قَلبٍ | qalbin | a heart |
حَديقَةٍ | ḥadīqatin | garden |
بَيتٍ | baytin | a house |
طِفلٍ | ṭiflin | a child |
نَهرٍ | nahrin | a river |
سَريرٍ | sarīrin | a bed |
بَحْرٍ | baḥrin | a sea |
وَقتٍ | waqtin | time |
كَلبٍ | kalbin | a 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!