Language/Moroccan-arabic/Grammar/Alphabet-and-Writing

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Moroccan Arabic Grammar → Introduction → Alphabet and Writing

Introduction to the Moroccan Arabic Alphabet

In this lesson, you will learn the Moroccan Arabic alphabet and how to write basic words. The Moroccan Arabic alphabet is based on the Arabic script, with a few additional characters specific to Moroccan Arabic.

Consonants

The Moroccan Arabic alphabet consists of 28 consonants. Here are the consonants, along with their pronunciation and transliteration:

Moroccan Arabic Pronunciation Transliteration
ب b b
ت t t
ث ṯ th
ج j j
ح ḥ ḥ
خ kh kh
د d d
ذ ḏ dh
ر r r
ز z z
س s s
ش š sh
ص ṣ ṣ
ض ḍ ḍ
ط ṭ ṭ
ظ ẓ ẓ
ع ʿ ʿ
غ ġ gh
ف f f
ق q q
ك k k
ل l l
م m m
ن n n
ه h h
و w w
ي y y

Vowels

The Moroccan Arabic writing system uses diacritics to indicate short vowels. Here are the short vowels and their diacritic marks:

  • Fatha (a)
  • Kasra (i)
  • Damma (u)

Long vowels are not typically marked in Moroccan Arabic writing, but they are pronounced differently than their short counterparts.

The Hamza

The hamza is a unique character in the Moroccan Arabic alphabet. It is a glottal stop, which is a sound made in the back of the throat. Here are the three forms of the hamza:

  • Hamza alone (ء)
  • Hamza on alif (أ)
  • Hamza on waw (ؤ) or ya (ئ)

The hamza can be used to differentiate between words that would otherwise be spelled the same way. For example, the word for "father" (والد) is spelled the same as the word for "and" (و), but the presence of the hamza on the alif in the word for "father" distinguishes it from the word for "and".

Writing Basic Words

Now that you know the consonants, vowels, and hamza, you can start writing basic words in Moroccan Arabic. Here is an example of how to write the word for "hello":

Moroccan Arabic Pronunciation Transliteration English
السلام عليكم as-salāmu ʿalaykum assalamu alaykum Hello (peace be upon you)

Notice the hamza on the alif in the word for "peace" (سلام) and the diacritic marks on the vowels in both words.

Practice Exercise

Try writing these basic Moroccan Arabic words:

  • Cat
  • House
  • Bread

When you're done, check your answers below:

Moroccan Arabic Pronunciation Transliteration English
قطة qaṭa qata Cat
بيت bayt bayt House
خبز khobz khobz Bread

Conclusion

By now, you should have a good understanding of the Moroccan Arabic alphabet and how to write basic words. In the next lesson, we will focus on pronunciation and learn the sounds of Moroccan Arabic and basic pronunciation rules.

Sources


Now that you've completed this lesson, don't stop learning! Check out these related topics: Ordinal Numbers in Moroccan Arabic & Demonstratives.

Table of Contents - Moroccan Arabic Course - 0 to A1


Introduction


Greetings and Basic Phrases


Nouns and Pronouns


Food and Drink


Verbs


House and Home


Adjectives


Traditions and Customs


Prepositions


Transportation


Imperative Mood


Shopping and Bargaining


Historical Sites and Landmarks


Relative Clauses


Health and Emergencies


Passive Voice


Leisure and Entertainment


Holidays and Festivals


Conditional Mood


Regional Dialects


Indirect Speech


Weather and Climate

Other Lessons

Sources


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