Arabic text on this website is transcribed with a modified Latin alphabet, as shown in the tables below. Where more than one transcription symbol is provided, the first represents MSA pronunciation and the second (highlighted in red) represents a pronunciation variant or additional sound in spoken Lebanese Arabic.
The column on the far right lists additional symbols which are commonly used by other transcription schemes, both scientific and popular.
For a detailed introduction to the Arabic alphabet, as well as the sounds and writing conventions of both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Lebanese Arabic, please see our discussion of Arabic phonology and orthography.
Consonants
| Arabic Script | Name | Our Transcription Symbol | Other Symbols | |||
| أ ,ء ,ئ ,ؤ | hamzaŧ | Ā | ʔ, ʾ, 2 | |||
| ب | bāĀ | b, p | ||||
| ت | tāĀ | t | ||||
| ث | θāĀ | θ, s | ṯ, th | |||
| ج | jīm | j, g | ʒ, ǧ | |||
| ح | HāĀ | H | ħ, ḥ, 7 | |||
| خ | ḰāĀ | Ќ | ḫ, ḵ, kh, x, 5 | |||
| د | dāl | d | ||||
| ذ | ḏāl | ḏ, z | ð, dh | |||
| ر | rāĀ | r | ||||
| ز | zāyn | z | ||||
| س | sīn | s | ||||
| ش | šīn | š | ʃ, sh, ch | |||
| ص | Sād | S | sˤ, ṣ | |||
| ض | Dād | D | dˤ, ḍ | |||
| ط | TāĀ | T | tˤ, ṭ, 6 | |||
| ظ | ẒāĀ | Ẓ, Z | ðˤ, ẓ, ḏ̣, DH | |||
| ع | 3ayn | 3 | ʕ,ʿ , 9 | |||
| غ | ğayn | ğ | ɣ, ġ, ḡ, gh | |||
| ف | fāĀ | f, v | ||||
| ق | qāf | q, Ā | ʔ, ʾ, 2 | |||
| ك | kāf | k | ||||
| ل | lām | l | ||||
| م | mīm | m | ||||
| ن | nūn | n | ||||
| ه | hāĀ | h | ||||
| و | wāw | w | ||||
| ي | yāĀ | y | j |
Notes:
- tāĀ marbūTaŧ (ة) is transcribed as t when pronounced, and ŧ when silent
- hamzaŧ (ء) and hāĀ (ه) are sometimes silent in Lebanese Arabic, in which case they are transcribed as å and ħ, respectively
- hamzat lwaSl is transcribed only if it is pronounced
Vowels and Diacritical Marks
| Arabic Script | Name | Our Transcription Symbol | Other Symbols | |||
| ـَ | fatHaŧ | a | ||||
| ـُ | Dammaŧ | u | o | |||
| ـِ | kasraŧ | i, e (word-final) | e | |||
| ـْ | sukūn | (no symbol) | ||||
| ا | Āalif | ā, ē | a:, aa, a, æ:, e | |||
| و | wāw | ū, ō | u:, uu, oo, ou, u, o, aw | |||
| ي | yāĀ | ī, é | i:, ii, ee, i, e, ay | |||
| ى | Āalif maqSūraŧ | ā | a | |||
| آ | Āalif maddaŧ | Āā | same as hamzaŧ + Āalif | |||
| ـٌ | tanwīn al-Damm | un | ||||
| ـً / اً | tanwīn al-fatH | an | ||||
| ـٍ | tanwīn al-kasr | in | ||||
| ـّ | šaddaŧ | (doubled consonant is written twice) |
Related
The Arabic Alphabet: A Guide to the Phonology and Orthography of MSA and Lebanese Arabic