Every Arabic letter has up to four different forms:

1. Isolated form — when the letter stands alone (not connected to another letter)
2. Initial form — when the letter appears at the beginning of a word
3. Medial form — when the letter appears in the middle of a word
4. Final form — when the letter appears at the end of a word

Not all letters connect to the letter after them. Letters like alif (ا), dal (د), dha (ذ), ra (ر), zay (ز), and waw (و) do not connect to the following letter.

Look at the letter ba (ب) in these example words from your textbook:

Now look at the letter nun (ن):

Let's practice identifying the letter ra (ر) in these words from the textbook:

1. نَهَرٌ (river) — The letter ra (ر) is at the end of the word. Its form is: ـر

2. مَرْرٌ (bitter) — The letter ra (ر) appears twice with a shadda (ـّ) to show doubling. This is written as رّ (the shadda sits above the letter).

3. جَمِيلٌ (beautiful) — The letter jim (ج) is in the middle with the form ـجـ, while lam (ل) appears twice: first in the middle (ـلـ) then at the end (ـل).

The shadda (ـّ) is a small diagonal line written above a letter. It tells us to double that letter when pronouncing it. The letter itself is written once, but the shadda shows the sound is repeated.

From your textbook, here are examples of words with shadda:

• مُهَذَّبٌ (well-mannered) — the letter ha (ه) is doubled: مُهَذَّب
• مُسَاعِدٌ (helpful) — the letter ain (ع) is doubled: مُسَاعِد

When a letter has shadda, it still takes the correct form for its position in the word.

Identify the position of the underlined letter in each word:

When you write Arabic words:

• Always look at where the letter sits in the word
• Check if the letter connects to the one before it and/or after it
• Remember that some letters (ا، د، ذ، ر، ز، و) never connect to letters after them
• Use the shadda (ـّ) when a letter is pronounced twice in a row

In Tanzania, you will see Arabic letter forms on shop signs (like dukā) and in religious books used in mosques and madrasa classes. When you read Swahili or Arabic texts in newspapers or on billboards, you can practice identifying how letters change shape depending on where they appear in the word. This helps you read and write Arabic words correctly for your religious studies and daily reading.