Practice
In context
Coming up
This session
Drag the words into the numbered boxes in the correct order, or click the words one by one. Click a filled box to return a word.
AI tutor is for adults (18+) and Dallah topics only. Do not enter personal, confidential, medical or legal information. AI can be wrong. Privacy · Disclaimer
28 letters
Tap a letter to see its shape, how it joins and how it sounds. Arabic runs right to left. Six letters never join to the letter after them: alif (ا), dal (د), dhal (ذ), ra (ر), zayn (ز) and waw (و).
How Arabic letter forms work
Most Arabic letters connect to the letters next to them, so their shape changes when they stand alone, start a word, sit in the middle or end a word. Six letters never connect to the letter after them: alif (ا), dal (د), dhal (ذ), ra (ر), zayn (ز) and waw (و). After one of these, the next letter starts a fresh shape.
Short vowels are usually shown with optional marks above or below letters; long vowels also use letters. Persian, Urdu and other languages use related Arabic-derived alphabets with additions, but this page teaches the 28-letter Arabic alphabet.
Eastern Arabic numerals
Write the digits left to right, even inside Arabic text. From 21 to 99 you say the small number first: 21 is literally ‘one and twenty’.
Every word in one place
The full reference for every word in the course, grouped by topic. Look a word up, see which ones you marked Known or Hard, or use it to write words out by hand in a paper notebook.
Social formulas
Useful greetings, replies and everyday expressions. Explore when you might hear each phrase, then listen and practise. Mark the ones you know or want to revisit.
No expressions in this view yet. Start with all expressions and find a phrase for your next conversation.
How to show respect in Arab settings
Thoughtful starting points for greetings, hospitality and daily life in Saudi Arabia. Follow your host’s lead, ask when unsure, and respect each person’s preferences.
What not to do
Language mix-ups, personal boundaries and current rules to check. A courtesy suggestion is different from a legal requirement; each card makes that distinction.
Prepare for something specific
Prepare for a meeting, a visit or an everyday conversation. Describe the situation for suggested phrases and context. AI suggestions are a starting point; people and settings vary.
Pattern, structure, light
Explore geometry, architecture and craft through twelve short studies. Compare simplified diagrams with real museum objects, then unfold the details that interest you.
The tribes of the Arab world
An introduction to twenty-two tribes, confederations and peoples across the region. These categories are not interchangeable. Explore historical context without assuming someone’s identity from their name or birthplace.
One written language, many spoken ones
Formal Arabic and everyday varieties overlap in speech and writing. Compare the same question across regions, then explore how local words and pronunciation vary.
Where Arabic is spoken
Natural Earth 1:50m reference geography uses de facto boundaries; disputed territories are not resolved by this map. The territory between the Jordan and the Mediterranean is shown as Palestine, which is the publisher’s editorial position. Country shading describes language context, not territorial claims.
Explore profiles by name. Undated population and speaker estimates have been removed from this comparison.
Fourteen centuries, five threads
The prestige art form
Short readings from the long history of Arabic poetry. Explore the Arabic with a plain-language translation and a note on context. Uncertain attributions are marked; translations here are learning interpretations.
Six scripts
Writing is both language and art. Compare six script traditions, a real manuscript page and digital previews. Script names describe traditions with many styles and individual hands.
Ask about the region
Tell us what you think
Found a mistake, have an idea, or just want to say hello? Write below. A real person reads every message.