Help:IPA/Arabic

Template:IPA key The chart below explains how Wikipedia represents Modern Standard Arabic pronunciations with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Wikipedia also has specific charts for Egyptian Arabic, Hejazi Arabic, Lebanese Arabic, and Tunisian Arabic. For a guide to adding IPA characters to Wikipedia articles, see Template:IPA and Template:Section link.

See Arabic phonology for a more thorough discussion of the sounds of Modern Standard Arabic, and varieties of Arabic for regional variation.

IPA	English approximation	Arabic letter/symbol	Usual romanization	Letter name
A–B
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	cat in British English, only approx. in American English, could also be realised as [æ]		a, á, e	فَتْحَة (fatḥah)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	not exact, longer far, could also be realised as [æː]	( at word end)	ā, â, aa, a	أَلِف (ʾalif) الف مقصورة (ʾalif maqṣūrah)
Template:Efn	+Template:IPAslink, my or night		ay, ai, ey, ei	يَاء (yāʾ)
Template:Efn	+Template:IPAslink, noun		aw, au	وَاو (wāw)
Template:IPA link	bee		b	بَاء (bāʾ)
D
Template:IPA link	dash		d	دَال (dāl)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	emphatic and pharyngealized Template:IPAslink, no equivalent, can be approximated to RP dawn		ḍ, dh	ضَاد (ḍād)
Template:IPA link	jam	Template:Efn	j, ǧ, dj, g	جِيم (jīm)
Template:IPA link	these		dh, ḏ	ذَال (dhāl)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:EfnTemplate:Efn	emphatic and pharyngealized Template:IPAblink		ẓ	ظَاء (ẓāʾ)
F–H
Template:IPA link	father		f	فَاء (fāʾ)
Template:IPA link	hi		h	هَاء (hāʾ)
Template:IPA link	hello, but pronounced in the back of your throat		ḥ	حَاء (ḥāʾ)
I–K
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	happy		i, e	كَسْرَة (kasrah)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	machine		ī, ee, i	يَاء (yāʾ)
Template:IPA link	yes		y	يَاء (yāʾ)
Template:IPA link	scape		k	كَاف (kāf)
L–S
Template:IPA link	lease (Received Pronunciation)		l	لَام (lām)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	tool
Template:IPA link	me		m	مِيم (mīm)
Template:IPA link	no		n	نُون (nūn)
Template:IPA link	like skit, but further down to the uvula (uvular).		q, g, '	قَاف (qāf)
Template:IPA link	"tapped" or "trilled" r; Spanish perro		r	رَاء (rāʾ)
Template:IPA link	snake		s	سِين (sīn)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	close to saw, emphatic and pharyngealized Template:IPAslink		ṣ	صَاد (ṣād)
Template:IPA link	sheep		sh, š, ch	شِين (shīn)
T–W
Template:IPA link	stop	(sometimes )	t	تَاء (tāʾ) تاء مربوطة (tāʾ marbūṭah)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	emphatic and pharyngealized Template:IPAslink, no equivalent		ṭ	طَاء (ṭāʾ)
Template:IPA link	think		th, ṯ	ثَاء (thāʾ)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	fruition		u, o, ou	ضَمَّة (ḍammah)
Template:IPA linkTemplate:Efn	cool		ū, oo, ou, u	وَاو (wāw)
Template:IPA link	we		w	وَاو (wāw)
X–Z
Template:IPA link ~ χ	Scottish loch		kh, ḫ, ḵ	خَاء (khāʾ)
Template:IPA link ~ ʁ	like gallon, but with a guttural sound further down to the uvula (uvular). Alternatively like French paris		gh, ġ, ḡ	غَيْن (ghayn)
Template:IPA link	zoo		z	زَاي (zāy)
Other
Template:IPA link	The pause in uh-oh!; The 'tt' in kitten in Standard American English; Cockney butter; glottal stop		ʾ ’ '	هَمْزة (hamzah)
Template:IPA link	no equivalent in english (voiced pharyngeal fricative or voiced creaky-voiced pharyngeal approximant)		ʿ ‘ ' `	عَيْن (ʿayn)
Template:IPA link	see under T—W
Template:IPA link	('kiwi')	Means that the following syllable is stressed: ('Arab').
Template:IPA link	('sack')	Means that the preceding vowel is long
('[he] sacrificed'), ('teacher [f.]'), ('paintress'), ('liar [m.]')		A geminated consonant never belongs to one syllable and is often broken with a stress.

See also

• Template:Clc