Arabic Letter Forms Chart
Every Arabic letter in its isolated, initial, medial and final form, as a printable chart.
The four forms, on one page
Arabic letters change shape according to where they sit in a word. Most alphabet charts show only the isolated form, which is the one form a pupil will almost never write. This chart shows all four — isolated, initial, medial and final — for every letter.
The shapes are real, not pictures
Each form is produced by joining the letter to zero-width joiners and letting your browser shape it, the same way it shapes any Arabic word. That means the forms are always correct, and the chart prints crisply at any size because it is text rather than an image.
The six letters that do not join
Alif, dal, dhal, ra, zay and waw never join to the letter that follows them, so they have no initial and no medial form. Charts that quietly invent one teach a shape that does not exist. Here those cells are marked with a dash and the rows are tinted, so the exception is visible rather than hidden.
Made for the classroom
Put your own title on it, add a name and date line, choose three sizes — small enough to fit one page, or large enough to read from the back of the room — and optionally show each letter inside a word so pupils see the shape doing its job.
Read more about this
- The order to teach the Arabic alphabet in — Alphabetical order is a filing system, not a teaching sequence. What to teach first so that learners can read a real word in week one, and what to leave until they can.
- Why Arabic letters join, and how to teach it in one lesson — The four forms of every letter are not four things to memorise. There is one shape and two rules, and the six letters that break them are the reason words appear to have gaps in the middle.
Common questions
Why do some letters have no initial or medial form?
Because six of them — alif, dal, dhal, ra, zay and waw — never join to the letter that follows. A word can join to them from the right, but nothing joins on their left, so an initial or medial shape simply does not exist. Those cells show a dash.
Can I print it?
Yes, that is what it is for. Choose a size, set a title, and print. The chart is text rather than an image, so it stays sharp however large you print it.
Are ة, ء and ى included?
They are optional. They are taught alongside the alphabet but are not letters of it, so they are switched off by default and can be added with one tick.
Is it free?
Yes, entirely — no account and no limit. It runs in your browser, so it costs us nothing to give away.
Every tool, no daily limit
Unlock the full set of Arabic tools and use them as much as you need. Cancel whenever you like.
See the plans