Free tool · Qur’an reading starter
Arabic letters that don’t join
Almost every Arabic letter connects to the next one. Six do not. Once you know them, joined handwriting stops looking like a puzzle and starts looking like words.
ا د ذ ر ز و join the letter before them but never the letter after. So the next letter starts afresh, even in the middle of a word.
Four forms, one letter
The letter ب is written ب alone, ب at the start of a word, ب in the middle and ب at the end. The shape changes only to attach to its neighbours. The six non-joiners have only two forms, alone and end, because nothing ever attaches to their left.
The six, side by side
On the left, the letter after ب: it attaches to it. On the right the letter before ب: it never attaches.
| Letter | Name | ب then letter | Letter then ب |
|---|---|---|---|
| ا | Alif | با | اب |
| د | Dal | بد | دب |
| ذ | Dhal | بذ | ذب |
| ر | Ra | بر | رب |
| ز | Zay | بز | زب |
| و | Waw | بو | وب |
In the third column the ب reaches across to attach to the letter. In the fourth the letter stands apart from the ب after it.
Build Qur’an words letter by letter
Each row shows the shapes the letters take, right to left, and the finished word with its marks as it is written in the Qur’an.
- ربرَبِّrabbi — “Lord of” (1:2) · after ر the chain breaks
- اللهٱللَّهُallāhu — “Allah” (112:1) · after ا the chain breaks
- ذلكذَٰلِكَdhālika — “that” (2:2) · after ذ the chain breaks
- دينكمدِينُكُمْdīnukum — “your religion” (109:6) · after د the chain breaks
- زيتونةزَيْتُونَةٍۢzaytūnatin — “an olive tree” (24:35) · after ز the chain breaks; after و the chain breaks
- وجهوَجْهُwajhu — “the face of” (55:27) · after و the chain breaks
- الرحمنٱلرَّحْمَٰنِar-raḥmāni — “the Most Merciful” (1:3) · after ا the chain breaks; after ر the chain breaks
- أحدأَحَدٌaḥadun — “one” (112:1) · after أ the chain breaks
- كفواكُفُوًاkufuwan — “equal” (112:4) · after و the chain breaks
Try it: tap the six
Tap every letter that does not join the letter after it, then check.
Three extra details
- Lam + alif is always written as the single ligature لا.
- Ta marbuta ة appears only at the end of a word, like a ha with two dots. It is said as a soft “t” when you carry on reading and as “h” (or nothing) when you stop.
- Tatweel (the stretching line ـ) just makes room for a mark. It is not a letter. You will see it in the Qur’an in words like جَنَّـٰتٍ.
How to read a joined word
- Know the six. Learn ا د ذ ر ز و. They stop the chain on their left.
- Join to the right side. A letter after another letter takes its end or middle form and attaches to the letter before it, unless that letter is one of the six.
- Restart after a stop. After one of the six, the next letter takes its start (or stand-alone) form, even inside the same word.
- Read the word. Read right to left, letter by letter, adding the vowel marks.
The words above are copied from the Uthmani text used in the Niyat app. The rule is part of the standard Arabic script and is the same in every Arabic book.
Frequently asked questions
Which Arabic letters do not connect to the next letter?
Six: ا (alif), د (dal), ذ (dhal), ر (ra), ز (zay) and و (waw). They join the letter before them but never the letter after, so the next letter starts a new shape. Hamza (ء) and ة (ta marbuta, found only at the end of a word) are also never followed by a joined letter.
Is a gap after those letters a space between words?
No. After one of the six, the word continues with a small gap inside the word. A real space between words is wider. Context and the vowel marks tell you where words end.
Why do letters change shape at all?
Arabic is written as joined handwriting. A letter's form depends on its neighbours: it looks different when it connects on the right, the left, both sides, or neither.
What is the long stretch (tatweel) I see in the Qur'an?
It is a stretching line (ـ) that gives room to a small mark such as the dagger alif, as in جَنَّـٰتٍ. It is not a letter and not pronounced, and it never changes the reading.
How are lam and alif written together?
ل followed by ا is always written as the ligature لا. It is one fixed shape, not a new letter, and you will see it in words such as لَا ('no' or 'not').
Keep going
Practise on real ayahs
Niyat shows each ayah word by word with audio, so you can check every joined word you read against the recitation. Rated 4.9 stars.
Download Niyat for iPhone Get it on Google PlayThis is a reading starter, not a replacement for a teacher. The sounds of ع, ح, ق, ض and the heavy letters are learned by listening and being corrected. Find a teacher who can hear you recite.