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| Traditional Arabic calligraphy |
Native speakers should follow this Arabic transcription guide in order to use our phonetic system.
Consonants:
- ç - [ء], [ق]
- b - [ب]
- t - [ت], [ث]
- š - [ث] true sound
- j - [ج]
- x - [ح]
- k - [خ]
- d - [د]
- ž - [ذ] true sound
- r - [ر]
- z - [ز], [ذ]
- s - [س], [ث]
- c - [ش]
- ş - [ص]
- ð - [ض], [ظ]
- ţ - [ط]
- ź - [ظ], [ض]
- ý - [ع]
- g - [غ]
- f - [ف]
- č - [ق] true sound
- q - [ك]
- l - [ل]
- m - [م]
- n - [ن]
- h - [ه]
- w - [و]
- y - [ي]
Short Vowels:
- a/e - 'fatxah' [ـَ]
- i/e - 'qasrah' [ـِ]
- u/o - 'ðammah' [ـُ]
Long Vowels:
- â/ê - 'fatxah çalif' [ـَا]
- î - 'qasrah yâç' [ـِي]
- û - 'ðammah wâw' [ـُو]
- ô - 'fatxah wâw' [ـَو]
Rules:
- Final long vowels 'çalif' [ا]/ 'çalif mačşûrah' [ى], 'wâw' [و], and 'yâç' [ي] are never accented at the end of a word, they are always transcribed as 'short vowels': 'a', 'u/o', 'i' respectively, except in monosyllabic words, or when the word's stress is on the final syllable, e. g. 'cû', 'fî', 'mayô'.
- Final long vowel 'yâç' [ي] is always transcribed as a short vowel 'i', e.g. 'şabi', 'rasmi', 'xabbîbi'.
- Arabic letter 'tâç marbûţah' [ة] is always transcribed as a final 'a' or 'e', except when in construct form where it becomes a 'connective t', e.g. 'siyyârit çimmi' 'xaflit binti', 'jazîrit il-çarânib'.
- Short vowel 'e' is sometimes used as a helping vowel in certain three-consonant clusters, e. g. 'xaðrtaq = xaðertaq', and in certain two-consonant final clusters, e.g. 'çibn = çiben'.
- Long vowel 'ê' is used to transcribe certain words where 'fatxa çalif' [ـَا] is pronounced the Lebanese way, e. g. 'bêb', 'cmêl'.
- Diphthongs 'fatxah yâç' [ـَي], and 'fatxah wâw' [ـَو] are transcribed as 'ê/ey' and 'ô' in monosyllabic words, and 'ay' and 'aw' in multisyllabic words, e. g. 'wên/weynaq', 'môz/mawze'.
