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Phase 3 — Reading Practice

Connecting Letters

How letters join in words & letter forms

15 min Free — no signup needed
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Arabic is a cursive script — most letters connect to each other. Understanding connections is key to reading fluently.

The 6 Non-Connecting Letters

Most Arabic letters connect on both sides. But these 6 letters only connect from the right — they never connect to the letter that follows them. This creates a break in the word.

ا
Alif
non-conn
د
Dal
non-conn
ذ
Dhal
non-conn
ر
Ra
non-conn
ز
Zay
non-conn
و
Waw
non-conn
Memory trick: Think of these 6 as "road blockers" — they stop the connection from continuing to the next letter.
See Connections in Real Words

In the words below, green shows a connecting letter and red shows a non-connecting letter that causes a break:

كتاب
كِتَاب — Kitāb (book)
Alif (ا) is non-connecting → break after it
مسجد
مَسْجِد — Masjid (mosque)
Dal (د) is non-connecting → at the end, fine
قرآن
قُرْآن — Qur'ān
Ra (ر) is non-connecting → causes a break
محمور
بُرُوج — Burūj (towers)
Waw (و) causes a break mid-word
Special Case: Lam + Alif = لا

When Lam (ل) is followed by Alif (ا), they form a special combined shape لا. This is mandatory in Arabic — you must always write it this way.

لَا
Lā — "No"

You already know this! The Shahadah begins with:

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ
Lā ilāha illallāh
There is no god but Allah
Practice: Identify the Connections

Look at each word below. Count how many connections it has and where the breaks are.

نَبِي
Nabī
Prophet — 2 connections
صَلَاة
Salāh
Prayer — break after Alif
رَمَضَان
Ramadān
Break after Ra, then Alif
إِسْلَام
Islām
Break after Alif in middle
Course Overview