Welcome to our Spoken Egyptian online course series. Today’s lesson is about the Arabic Alphabet letters. In these short and to-the-point lessons, we will learn together the spoken Egyptian dialect via a series of blog articles and podcasts. This will be an excellent free companion to our YouTube channel. You will find referrals between blog posts and YouTube episodes whenever necessary. Make sure to check for new articles by visiting our blog regularly. Also don’t forget to join my free ‘Egyptian Arabic 101’ course, where I explain various essential components of the Spoken Egyptian Dialect.
Learning Arabic online (which also applies to spoken Egyptian) requires patience because the Arabic language looks different from Roman or Latin languages. In this lesson, we will investigate the Arabic alphabet letters together.
Let’s start,
The Arabic Alphabet letters: A quick look
The Arabic Alphabet consists of 28 primary letters and three secondary letters. The language is written from right to left and with connected letters. It is rare to find writings in the Egyptian dialect. This is because MSA is of fundamental use in Arabic scripts, while dialects are essential for communication. Therefore, if your target for learning Arabic is to read the Arabic context, we recommend that you start with MSA. Have a quick look at the Arabic alphabet from the list below:
Arabic alphabet in Spoken Egyptian
| Letter | Egyptian pronunciation separate | Pronunciation with fatha in context |
|---|---|---|
| ا | alef | aa |
| ب | beh | baa |
| ت | teh | taa |
| ث | theh | thaa |
| ج | geem | gaa |
| ح | 7aa | 7aa |
| خ | khaa | khaa |
| د | daal | daa |
| ذ | thaal | thaa |
| ر | reh | raa |
| ز | zeen | zaa |
| س | seen | saa |
| ش | sheen | shaa |
| ص | saad | saa |
| ض | daad | daa |
| ط | t'ah | taa |
| ظ | th'aah | thaa |
| ع | 3een | 3aa |
| غ | gheen | ghaa |
| ف | feh | faa |
| ق | k'aaf | k'aa |
| ك | kaaf | kaa |
| ل | laam | laa |
| م | meem | maa |
| ن | noon | naa |
| ه | heh | haa |
| و | waaw | waa |
| ي | yeh | yaa |
| لأ | laam alef | laa |
| ة | teh marbootah | tah |
| ء | hamza | 2a |
Arabic online keyboard
Writing Arabic on the keyboard is a beautiful experience on its own. I learned to write Arabic on the keyboard when I was a child. Indeed, if you need to write Arabic, an Arabic-capable keyboard will be essential, and you will need some training. If you need to write Arabic letters while travelling and have no Arabic keyboard, no worries. There is a beautiful website that enables you to write Arabic letters using an online Arabic keyboard.
Pronunciation difference from MSA
When pronouncing Arabic words in the Egyptian dialect, the pronunciation of some letters differs from the pronunciation of MSA. For example, in the dialect of Cairo, you can find the following differences from MSA pronunciation:
- The letter ‘ق k’aaf’ is mostly pronounced ‘ء hamzah’
- The letter ‘ث thaa2’ is mostly pronounced ‘س seen’
Did you find the Arabic Alphabet letters easy?
Now you know the Alphabet and how to write their separate forms. If you need more on this subject, don’t forget to complement your knowledge and enroll 100% free in my ‘Egyptian Arabic 101’ course. Tell me in the comments if you found the lesson easy. I am also happy to answer any questions.