Arabic Reference
Arabic harakat chart
Harakat are the marks that show short vowels in Arabic. This chart lists all eight marks you will meet, with the sound each makes on the letter ب and a real word that uses it.
The eight marks
| Mark | On ب | Sound | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatha | بَ ba | short a | كَتَبَ kataba | he wrote |
| Kasra | بِ bi | short i | مِن min | from |
| Damma | بُ bu | short u | كُتُب kutub | books |
| Sukun | بْ b | no vowel | بِنْت bint | girl |
| Shadda | بّ bb | doubled letter | دَرَّسَ darrasa | he taught |
| Tanwin fath | بً ban | ending -an | كِتَابًا kitāban | a book (object) |
| Tanwin kasr | بٍ bin | ending -in | كِتَابٍ kitābin | a book (after a preposition) |
| Tanwin damm | بٌ bun | ending -un | كِتَابٌ kitābun | a book (subject) |
Long vowels
Long vowels are written with a full letter, not only a mark. Each pairs with the short vowel that matches it.
| Letter | Sound | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ا alif after fatha | long ā | كِتَاب kitāb | book |
| ي ya after kasra | long ī | كَبِير kabīr | big |
| و waw after damma | long ū | نُور nūr | light |
Why the marks change meaning
The same three letters can be different words. كَتَبَ kataba is “he wrote” and كُتِبَ kutiba is “it was written”. Without marks, both are كتب, and so is كُتُب kutub, “books”. Fluent readers tell them apart from context, which a beginner can't yet do.
The chart gets you started, and reading vowelled text makes the marks automatic. Our guide to Arabic stories with harakat covers what to look for in practice material.
Download Story Languages
FAQ
What are harakat?
Harakat are the small marks written above or below Arabic letters to show short vowels. The three basic ones are fatha (a), kasra (i) and damma (u).
What is the difference between harakat and tashkeel?
Harakat usually means the short vowel marks. Tashkeel is the whole system of marks, which also includes sukun, shadda and tanwin. Many people use the two words interchangeably.
Why does most Arabic leave the harakat out?
Fluent readers know the words and work out the vowels from context, so books and news usually mark only a word that would otherwise be ambiguous. Texts for beginners and the Quran mark them fully.
Where can I practise reading with harakat?
Story Languages, an iPhone and iPad app, has graded Arabic stories in Modern Standard Arabic. Every story from A1 to B1 is fully vowelled, and you can tap any word for its meaning.