Introduction to Farsi
Persian Alphabet
The Persian Script
The Persian alphabet, also known as the Perso-Arabic script, is your first step to reading and writing the language. It has 32 letters and is based on the Arabic script, but with four extra letters to represent sounds that don't exist in Arabic: پ (pe), چ (če), ژ (že), and گ (gaf).
The most important thing to know from the start is that Persian is written and read from right to left. This might feel strange at first, but you'll get used to it quickly. For example, the word for "book" is کتاب. To read it, you start with the ک on the right and move left.
Letters Change Shape
Think of Persian writing like English cursive. Most letters in a word connect to each other. Because of this, many letters have different forms depending on where they appear in a word: at the beginning (initial), in the middle (medial), or at the end (final). Letters also have an isolated form for when they stand alone.
This isn't as complicated as it sounds. Often, the changes are small adjustments that allow one letter to flow smoothly into the next. The core shape of the letter usually stays recognizable.
| Letter | Isolated | Initial | Medial | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Be (ب) | ب | بـ | ـبـ | ـب |
| Sin (س) | س | سـ | ـسـ | ـس |
| Ain (ع) | ع | عـ | ـعـ | ـع |
Notice how 'Be' just extends its line to connect to the next letter. 'Sin' does the same. 'Ain' changes more dramatically, but you can still see the resemblance across its forms. Learning to recognize these four forms is key to reading fluently.
The 32 Letters
Here is the complete Persian alphabet. Take your time to get familiar with each letter's name and its isolated form. We'll explore the other forms as you begin to build words.
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ا | Alef | 'a' as in 'apple' or 'a' as in 'awe' |
| ب | Be | 'b' as in 'book' |
| پ | Pe | 'p' as in 'pen' |
| ت | Te | 't' as in 'tea' |
| ث | Se | 's' as in 'sun' |
| ج | Jim | 'j' as in 'jump' |
| چ | Če | 'ch' as in 'chair' |
| ح | He | 'h' as in 'hat' (breathy) |
| خ | Xe | 'kh' as in Scottish 'loch' |
| د | Dāl | 'd' as in 'dog' |
| ذ | Zāl | 'z' as in 'zoo' |
| ر | Re | 'r' as in 'road' (rolled) |
| ز | Ze | 'z' as in 'zoo' |
| ژ | Že | 'zh' as in 'pleasure' |
| س | Sin | 's' as in 'sun' |
| ش | Šin | 'sh' as in 'shoe' |
| ص | Sād | 's' as in 'sun' |
| ض | Zād | 'z' as in 'zoo' |
| ط | Tā | 't' as in 'tea' |
| ظ | Zā | 'z' as in 'zoo' |
| ع | Eyn | A guttural stop, similar to 'a' |
| غ | Qeyn | 'gh' like a French 'r' |
| ف | Fe | 'f' as in 'fish' |
| ق | Qāf | 'q' as in 'qoph' (guttural 'k') |
| ک | Kāf | 'k' as in 'king' |
| گ | Gāf | 'g' as in 'go' |
| ل | Lām | 'l' as in 'love' |
| م | Mim | 'm' as in 'mom' |
| ن | Nun | 'n' as in 'no' |
| و | Vāv | 'v' as in 'vet' or 'oo' as in 'moon' |
| ه | He | 'h' as in 'hat' |
| ی | Ye | 'y' as in 'yes' or 'ee' as in 'see' |
You might have noticed that some letters make the same sound in modern Persian (like ث, س, and ص all making an 's' sound). These are holdovers from Arabic and will become easy to remember with practice.
An important rule is that not all letters connect to the one that follows them. There are seven letters that only connect to the letter before them. They never connect to the letter on their left.
This means that if a word contains one of these letters, there will be a small gap after it before the next letter begins, even if it's in the middle of the word.
The seven letters that do not connect to the following letter are: ا , د , ذ , ر , ز , ژ , و
Now that you've seen all the letters and learned the basic rules, let's review them before you test your knowledge.
How many letters are in the modern Persian alphabet?
The Persian language is written and read from left to right.
Familiarity with the alphabet is the foundation for everything else. Try practicing writing the letters out by hand to build muscle memory.