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  2. Qaida Foundations
  3. Lesson 2

How letters join

أشكال الحروف

Letters change shape at the start, middle and end of a word. Learn the patterns and the six letters that never join forward.

Lesson 2 of 12About 12 minBeginner

By the end of this lesson

  • Spot a letter in its joined forms
  • Know the six non-joining letters
  • Split a written word into its letters

In a word, most letters connect to the letter after them, and their shape shortens. The core of the letter stays the same, so look for the dots and the main stroke.

LetterAt the startIn the middleAt the end
ببــبــب
ججــجــج
ععــعــع
ههــهــه
ككــكــك

Six letters never join to the next letter

ا
د
ذ
ر
ز
و

These letters connect to the letter before them, but leave a small gap after themselves. That gap is not the end of the word, so keep reading.

قَالَhe saidق + ا + ل
رَبِّLordر + ب
دِينِthe Judgementد + ي + ن

PracticeHow many letters are in each word?

كَتَبَShow answer

3: ك ت ب

قُلْShow answer

2: ق ل

نُورٌShow answer

3: ن و ر

ذَهَبَShow answer

3: ذ ه ب