9/25/2009

Alphabet

Arabic alphabet is a necessary component of learning this language. That is why I will write here all the letters with the description of the pronuncation and words' examples.

REMEMBER THAT ARABIC WORDS ARE WRITTEN FROM RIGHT TO LEFT!


ا - alif, jak w "Ahmed" أحمد , one of the most popular arabic names
ب - ba, jak w "Bahebbak" بحبك , means "I love you"
ت - ta, jak w "Tani"تاني, means again or another
ث - ta lub sa, jak w "Sawani"ثواني , seconds
ج - giim, jak w "Gamil"جميل , means "beauty" or "beautiful". In Egypt we say "g" ( like in hug), but in standard arabic we say "g" (like in George)
ح - Ha (7a), jak w "Habibi" حبيبي , means "My love". This letter has no equivalent in english, this is H coming from the deep of throat, like during breathing after running.
خ - xa (5a lub kha), jak w "xata" خطأ , means "mistake", this is a sound similar to french "R".
د - daal, jak w "Dunja" دنيا, means "world"
ذ - daal lub zaal, jak w "Dajeb", means "melting", usually speaking about the love
ر - ra, jak w "Ramadan" رمضان, holy month of fasting for Arabs
ز -zay, jak w "Zaman"زمن , means "time"
س - sin, jak w "Saba`tashar" سبعة عشر, "means seventeen"
ش - shin, jak w "Shuf" شوف means "look at", "watch",
ص - Saad, jak w "Sabr" صبر , means "patience", deeply "S"
ض - Daad, jak w "Da3" ضاع, means lost, wasted. Hard, deeply "D"
ط - Ta (6a), jak w "Tajr" طير , means bird, hard, deeply "T"
ظ - Da lub Za, jak w Zalim ظالم , means oppresive, unjust
ع - Ajn, jak w 3ayn عين, means "eye". This sound doesn't exist in english and it is hard to describe it. It is characteristic sound for arabic language, sound version of ح (Ha, 7a), coming from deep of the throat.
غ - ghajn, jak w "Ghali" غالي , means "precious".You can make this sound while you are brushing your teeth and gobbling water
ف - fa, jak w "Farid" فريد one of arabic names
ق - qaff (9aff, 2aff), jak w "Qalbi"قلبي, means "my heart", deep "K", we don't say this in egyptian dialect, thats why word "qalbi" become "albi"
ك - kaff, jak w Kajf كيف, means "how"
ل - laam, jak w Lejl ليل, ,means "night"
م - miim, jak w Magnun مجنون, means "crazy"
ن - nun, jak w Nar نار, means "fire"
ه - ha, jak w "Haram" هرم, means "pyramid"
و - łał (waaw), jak w "Wahashtini"وحشتيني, means "I miss you"
ي - ya, jak w "Ja habibi" يا حبيبي, used when we ask somebody or when we are addressing our words to somebody.

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