Arabic letters on their own have no vowel sound. The three short vowels — called Harakat — are small marks written above or below letters. They tell you exactly how to pronounce each letter. Without them, Arabic text cannot be read aloud correctly.
The Three Short Vowels
Fatha — الفتحة
Small diagonal stroke above the letter
Short "a" sound — like "a" in "cat"
The mouth opens (fatha means "opening"). Say a short, crisp "a".
Kasra — الكسرة
Small diagonal stroke below the letter
Short "i" sound — like "i" in "sit"
The lips come closer together. Say a short "i" sound.
Damma — الضمة
Small waw (و) shaped mark above the letter
Short "u" sound — like "u" in "put"
The lips round and come forward. Say a short "u" sound.
Complete Vowel Table — Every Letter with All Three Vowels
| Letter | With Fatha (a) | With Kasra (i) | With Damma (u) |
|---|---|---|---|
| أ | 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 | هَ | هِ | هُ |
| و | وَ | وِ | وُ |
| ي | يَ | يِ | يُ |
Quran Words with Short Vowels Only
القاعدة النورانية
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