About this Letter

The letter ب (ba) is the second letter of the Arabic alphabet and one of the fundamental letters you will use frequently in Arabic reading and writing. Pronunciation: The letter ب is pronounced like the English "b" in "boy" or "book". It is a voiced bilabial stop, meaning you bring your lips together and release them with voice. Letter Forms: Like most Arabic letters, ب has four different forms depending on where it appears in a word: - Isolated form (ب): Used when the letter stands alone - Initial form (بـ): Used at the beginning of a word - Medial form (ـبـ): Used in the middle of a word - Final form (ـب): Used at the end of a word Notice that the letter ب has one dot below the baseline. This dot is essential - it distinguishes ب from similar-looking letters like ت (ta) which has two dots above, and ث (tha) which has three dots above. Vowel Marks: In Arabic, short vowels are indicated by marks above or below the letter: - Fatha (بَ): produces the sound "ba" (like "a" in "father") - Damma (بُ): produces the sound "bu" (like "oo" in "boot") - Kasra (بِ): produces the sound "bi" (like "ee" in "feet") - Sukoon (بْ): indicates no vowel follows, just the consonant "b" The letter ب is a "moon letter" (حرف قمري), which means when the definite article ال (al) precedes it, the ل is pronounced. For example: البيت (al-bayt, "the house"). Practice reading ب in all its forms and with different vowel marks to become familiar with recognizing it in various Arabic fonts and handwriting styles.