Arabic letters join together inside a word, and most of them change shape when they do. These free Arabic letter forms worksheets help children see and write a letter at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of a word, then trace a picture word that uses it. The PDF has three pages: Alif, Baa and Taa.
Why do Arabic letters change shape?
Arabic is always written in joined-up letters, a bit like cursive handwriting in English. A letter that joins its neighbors needs a short connecting line, so its shape depends on where it sits in the word. Most letters have four forms:
| Letter | On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End of a word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baa | ب | بـ | ـبـ | ـب |
| Taa | ت | تـ | ـتـ | ـت |
| Jeem | ج | جـ | ـجـ | ـج |
| Seen | س | سـ | ـسـ | ـس |
| Ain | ع | عـ | ـعـ | ـع |
| Haa (soft) | ه | هـ | ـهـ | ـه |
Ain and the soft Haa change the most, so they are worth a little extra practice.
Six letters that never join forward
Six letters join only to the letter before them, never to the letter after them: ا د ذ ر ز و (Alif, Dal, Dhal, Raa, Zay and Waw). After one of these, the next letter starts again in its “start” shape. That is why some Arabic words have small gaps inside them.
What is in the free PDF?
Three pages from Level 2 of our Arabic Alphabet Workbook:
- Alif (ا), with the picture word asad (lion)
- Baa (ب), with batta (duck)
- Taa (ت), with tuffaha (apple)
Each page shows the letter’s forms and a picture word that uses the letter, with rows to trace and then to write the forms alone.
Tips for practicing letter forms
- Find the letter first. Before writing, ask your child to point to the letter inside the picture word.
- Trace, then write. The dotted letters show the right shape; the empty boxes are for writing from memory.
- Start on the right. Words and rows begin on the right-hand side.
- Read the word back. Finish each page by reading the picture word aloud together.
More free Arabic worksheets
- Arabic alphabet chart: all 28 letters with their names, sounds and forms
- Arabic short vowels worksheets: fatha, kasra and damma
