Arabic vowel marks for kids: fatha, kasra and damma
Arabic has three short vowel marks, called harakat. A fatha ( ـَ ) is a line above a letter and says a; a kasra ( ـِ ) is a line below and says i; a damma ( ـُ ) is a curl above and says u. So بَ is ba, بِ is bi and بُ is bu.
The three short vowels
fatha فَتْحَة
A little line on top says “a”
kasra كَسْرَة
A little line underneath says “i”
damma ضَمَّة
A little curl on top says “u”
Practise the sounds
Tap to hear each letter with fatha, kasra and damma.
| Letter | with fatha | with kasra | with damma |
|---|---|---|---|
| ب | بَ ba | بِ bi | بُ bu |
| ت | تَ ta | تِ ti | تُ tu |
| ج | جَ ja | جِ ji | جُ ju |
| د | دَ da | دِ di | دُ du |
| ر | رَ ra | رِ ri | رُ ru |
| س | سَ sa | سِ si | سُ su |
| م | مَ ma | مِ mi | مُ mu |
| ن | نَ na | نِ ni | نُ nu |
Long vowels: aa, ee and oo
A short vowel followed by its matching letter stretches the sound: fatha + alif says aa, kasra + yaa says ee, damma + waaw says oo.
| Letter | aa (with alif ا) | ee (with yaa ي) | oo (with waaw و) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ب | بَا baa | بِي bee | بُو boo |
| ت | تَا taa | تِي tee | تُو too |
| ج | جَا jaa | جِي jee | جُو joo |
| د | دَا daa | دِي dee | دُو doo |
| ر | رَا raa | رِي ree | رُو roo |
| س | سَا saa | سِي see | سُو soo |
| ف | فَا faa | فِي fee | فُو foo |
| ك | كَا kaa | كِي kee | كُو koo |
Questions about Arabic vowels
What are harakat in Arabic?
Harakat are the small marks written above or below Arabic letters to show the short vowels. The three main ones are the fatha (a short line above, says a), the kasra (a short line below, says i) and the damma (a small curl above, says u). Arabic letters are consonants, so the harakat tell you which vowel to say.
What is a fatha?
A fatha (فَتْحَة) is a short diagonal line written above a letter. It adds a short a sound, so ب with a fatha (بَ) says ba.
What is a kasra?
A kasra (كَسْرَة) is a short diagonal line written below a letter. It adds a short i sound, so ب with a kasra (بِ) says bi.
What is a damma?
A damma (ضَمَّة) is a small curl, like a tiny waaw, written above a letter. It adds a short u sound, so ب with a damma (بُ) says bu.
How do you make long vowels in Arabic?
Put a short vowel on a letter and follow it with the matching long-vowel letter: fatha + alif makes aa (بَا baa), kasra + yaa makes ee (بِي bee), and damma + waaw makes oo (بُو boo).
Why do some Arabic books have no vowel marks?
Adults reading Arabic usually know the words well enough to read without harakat, so newspapers and most books leave them out. Books for children and learners, and the Qur'an, include the marks so every word can be read correctly.
What is a sukun and a shadda?
A sukun (a small circle above a letter) means the letter has no vowel, as in the b of كَلْب kalb. A shadda (a small w shape above) doubles the letter, as in the tt of قِطّ qiṭṭ.
Mix letters and vowels in the Vowel Lab
In Hudhud's Vowel Valley children drag vowel marks onto letters to make the sound they hear, then use them to read real words.
