Free Printable Arabic Alphabet Charts and Tracing Sheet

About these arabic alphabet handouts

The Arabic alphabet has twenty-eight letters and is written from right to left. Most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word, so the main chart shows every letter alone and in its start, middle and end forms. Six letters, alif, dal, dhal, ra, zayn and waw, connect only to the letter before them, so they have only two forms and show a dash where the start and middle forms would be.

The tracing sheet gives a solid model and dotted copies of each letter in its single form, with room to write. The third sheet shows the short vowel marks: fatha, kasra, damma, sukun and shadda, and the three tanwin marks, each shown alone and on the letter ba. It also shows the long vowels, made with alif, waw and ya. Everyday Arabic text leaves the short vowels out, but they appear in the Qur'an and in children's materials.

Letter names use a simple romanization, and sounds are given in approximate English terms for Modern Standard Arabic; they vary by dialect. The charts carry a note that the letter names have not been independently checked against a primary source, so a teacher should confirm them against the school's text. Letters are in a plain print style, not in calligraphy, so students will see different styles in other materials.

How to use them

1. Print the all letter forms chart and read the alone form of each letter with its name.
2. Show how a letter changes in a word by looking at its start, middle and end forms.
3. Use the tracing sheet for handwriting, starting on the right.
4. Introduce the short vowel marks once students know several letters.
5. Review the six letters that connect only from the right.

Classroom tips

• Practice on the right edge of the page so students build the right-to-left habit.
• Group letters by shape, such as ba, ta and tha, which differ only in their dots.
• Say the name and the sound together each time a letter is traced.
• Point to the dots first when two letters look alike; the dots often tell the letters apart.

Notes on this page

• Arabic has 28 letters; six connect only from the right and have no start or middle form.
• Pronunciations are Modern Standard Arabic and vary by dialect; letter names use a simple romanization.
• This chart has not been independently checked against a primary source. It is provided for informational purposes only. Please do your own research to verify it.

Where the facts come from

• Unicode Character Database (Arabic and Arabic Presentation Forms-B blocks): Arabic letters, their joining forms and mark names; checked by program

Last reviewed 2026-10-03. Handout Hero designs are original and made for this site. They are general reference material; check your own school, district or tradition where it matters.