The 28 Arabic Letters: Names, Sounds and Example Names
Arabic letters
The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, read from right to left, starting with alif (ا), ba (ب) and ta (ت) and ending with ya (ي). Five of them (ح, خ, ع, غ, ق) have no real English equivalent, and several pairs share one English letter, so one Arabic name can be spelled many ways in English. For a letter pendant, choose by the Arabic letter, not the English initial. The Lana Al Kamal Arabic Letter Necklace offers all 28 letters in 18K gold with a VS diamond, at AED 3,200 (November 2026).
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By Lana Al Kamal
Founder and jewellery designer, GIA-trained, Dubai · Updated 12 November 2026
As featured in
Harper's Bazaar ArabiaEmirates WomanGrazia ArabiaJdeed MagazineKey takeaways
- Arabic has 28 letters, from alif (ا) to ya (ي).
- Several letters have no English equivalent (ح, خ, ع, غ, ق), and some pairs share one English letter, such as ت and ط for T.
- Choose a letter pendant from the Arabic spelling of the name, not the English one.
All 28 Arabic letters
| Letter | Name | Nearest English sound | Example name |
|---|---|---|---|
| ا / أ | alif | a, or a long aa | أحمد (Ahmed) |
| ب | ba | b | بدر (Badr) |
| ت | ta | t | تميم (Tamim) |
| ث | tha | th as in "think" | ثامر (Thamer) |
| ج | jim | j | جميلة (Jamila) |
| ح | ha | a breathy h from the throat; no English equivalent | حصة (Hessa) |
| خ | kha | kh, like ch in Scottish "loch" | خالد (Khalid) |
| د | dal | d | دانة (Dana) |
| ذ | dhal | th as in "this" | ذكرى (Dhikra) |
| ر | ra | rolled r | ريم (Reem) |
| ز | zay | z | زايد (Zayed) |
| س | sin | s | سارة (Sara) |
| ش | shin | sh | شيخة (Sheikha) |
| ص | sad | a heavy s | صالح (Saleh) |
| ض | dad | a heavy d | ضحى (Duha) |
| ط | ta | a heavy t | طارق (Tariq) |
| ظ | dha | a heavy th as in "this" | ظافر (Dhafer) |
| ع | ain | a sound from the throat; no English equivalent | عمر (Omar) |
| غ | ghain | gh, close to a French r | غادة (Ghada) |
| ف | fa | f | فاطمة (Fatima) |
| ق | qaf | q, a k from deep in the throat | قاسم (Qasim) |
| ك | kaf | k | كريم (Karim) |
| ل | lam | l | لطيفة (Latifa) |
| م | mim | m | مريم (Maryam) |
| ن | nun | n | نورة (Noura) |
| ه | ha | h as in "hat" | هند (Hind) |
| و | waw | w, or a long oo | وليد (Waleed) |
| ي | ya | y, or a long ee | يوسف (Yousef) |
English spellings of names vary from family to family; the ones above are common examples, not the only correct ones.
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Letters English cannot spell
ح, خ, ع, غ and ق are made further back in the throat than any English sound, so English writes them with the nearest letters it has: H, Kh, a vowel, Gh and Q or K. ع is the one that surprises people most: Omar, Ali and Aisha all start with ع in Arabic, even though their English spelling starts with a vowel. Our guide to choosing your Arabic letter has a table of common names and the letter each one starts with.
Pairs that share one English letter
Arabic has a light and a heavy version of several sounds, and English writes both the same way:
- T: ت in Tamim, ط in Tariq.
- S: س in Sara, ص in Saleh.
- D: د in Dana, ض in Duha.
- H: ه in Hind, ح in Hessa.
- Th / Dh: ث in Thamer, ذ in Dhikra, ظ in Dhafer.
So an English initial alone cannot tell you the Arabic letter. If you are ordering for someone else, ask them or their family how the name is written in Arabic.
What to buyArabic Letter Necklace, AED 3,200What the letters look like on a pendant
On a letter pendant each letter stands alone, in its full isolated shape, which can look different from the same letter inside a name. Our guide to Arabic letter forms explains why. The ending ة (ta marbuta) is not one of the 28 letters, so it is not offered as a pendant. If you are deciding between one letter and a whole name, see our comparison of name and letter necklaces; the Arabic Name Necklace starts from AED 4,250 (November 2026). Both are made to order: production takes about 15 working days, then shipping about 3 working days in the UAE and about 5 to Saudi Arabia.
Frequently asked questions
How many letters are in the Arabic alphabet?
28, from alif (ا) to ya (ي). The ending ة (ta marbuta) is a form of ta, not a separate letter.
Which Arabic letters have no English equivalent?
ح, خ, ع, غ and ق are sounds English does not have, so English spells them with the nearest letters: H, Kh, a vowel, Gh and Q or K.
Why does Omar start with ع and not alif?
Because the first sound of Omar in Arabic is ain (ع). English has no letter for it, so the English spelling simply starts with the vowel.
Is an English H the letter ح or ه?
It can be either. Hind starts with ه and Hessa with ح, so check the Arabic spelling before choosing a letter pendant.
Does the Lana Al Kamal letter necklace offer all 28 letters?
Yes, all 28 letters in 18K gold with a VS diamond, about 10 x 14 mm, at AED 3,200 (November 2026).
Not sure which one?
Send the studio a photo or a question on WhatsApp and we will help you choose.
WhatsApp the studioKeep reading
Arabic Letter Necklace: How to Choose Your LetterArabic Letter Forms Explained: How a Letter Looks on a Pendant
Arabic Name or Letter Necklace: Which Should You Choose?
About Lana Al Kamal
Lana Al Kamal is an architect and jewellery designer who founded her Dubai-based fine jewellery brand in 2018. She studied at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and is a member of the Dubai Chamber jewellery designers group. Every piece is made in 18K gold.
