Listen and pronounce words with short vowels

Short Vowels in Arabic

In Arabic, short vowels are small marks written above or below letters. They tell us how to pronounce the vowel sound in a word. There are three short vowels:

• Fatḥa (فتح) – a small diagonal line above the letter → says "a" as in "cat"
• Kasra (كسر) – a small diagonal line below the letter → says "i" as in "sit"
• Damma (ضَم) – a small curl above the letter → says "u" as in "put"

How to Read Short Vowels

When you see a short vowel mark, you add that sound to the letter it is on. The vowel sound is always short.

Vowel mark	Sound	Example	Reading
Fatḥa (ـَ)	a	وَجْهٌ	wajhun
Kasra (ـِ)	i	قِطَّةٌ	qittatun
Damma (ـُ)	u	مُرْسِلَةٌ	mursilatun

Words with Short Vowels

Names (الأَسْمَاءُ)

Arabic	Reading	Meaning
جَمَلٌ	jamalun	camel
قَرَدٌ	qaradun	monkey
أَسَدٌ	asadun	lion
نَخْلَةٌ	nakhlatun	date palm
بَقَرَةٌ	baqaratun	cow
مُنْضَدَةٌ	mundazadatun	table

Verbs (الأَفْعَالُ)

Arabic	Reading	Meaning
جَلَسَ	jalasa	he sat
أَكَلَ	akala	he ate
ثَبَتَ	thabata	he stayed
قَبَّحَ	qabbaha	he made ugly
فَهِمَ	fahima	he understood
حَمَلَ	hamala	he carried

Practice Words from Your Textbook

Here are more words to practice. Listen to your teacher or audio recording, then repeat:

With Fatḥa (a sound):

• ثَوْبٌ (thawbun) – cloth
• ذَهَبٌ (dhahabun) – gold
• بَابٌ (babun) – door

With Kasra (i sound):

• قَرِيبٌ (qaribun) – near
• جَبَانٌ (jabanun) – coward
• جَرِيحٌ (jarihun) – injured

With Damma (u sound):

• هُدُوٌّ (huduwun) – stillness
• قُرَيْشٌ (qurayshun) – Quresh (tribe)
• سُرُورٌ (sururun) – happiness |

Steps to Pronounce Correctly

1. Look at the letter carefully.
2. Check if it has a short vowel mark above or below.
3. Say the letter sound and add the vowel sound immediately.
4. Practice saying the whole word clearly.

Important Note

Short vowels are always short—they are not held for a long time. Compare:

• Short: كَتَبَ (kataba) – he wrote
• Long: كَاتَبَ (kataba) – he corresponded

Quick Practice

Say these words aloud:

1. وَجْهُ (wajhun) – face
2. رَكِبَ (rakiba) – he rode
3. حَسُنَ (hasuna) – he was good

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Real-life application

In Tanzania, you will hear short vowels when you listen to Arabic greetings or prayers at home or in the mosque during Idd holidays. For example, when someone says "أَكَلَ" (akala – he ate) or "شَرِبَ" (shariba – he drank), using the correct short vowel sounds helps you understand what the speaker means. This is useful when you are playing with friends, listening to the radio, or learning religious verses at mosque.