Harakat: The Three Short Vowels

Consonants alone are not enough: Arabic letters on their own do not tell you the vowel sound. The three letters ك ت ب could be read in many ways — كَتَبَ (he wrote), كِتَاب (book), كَاتِب (writer). The small marks that remove this doubt are called Harakat.

Fatha is the sound "a": The Fatha (فَتْحَة) is a small diagonal stroke written above the letter, and it makes the short sound "a", as in "father". It is the most common vowel in Arabic. بَ is "ba", تَ is "ta", كَ is "ka".

Kasra is the sound "i": The Kasra (كَسْرَة) is a small stroke written below the letter, and it makes the short sound "i", as in "sit". بِ is "bi", تِ is "ti", مِ is "mi".

Damma is the sound "u": The Damma (ضَمَّة) is a small curl written above the letter, and it makes the short sound "u", as in "put". بُ is "bu", تُ is "tu", مُ is "mu".

The Quran is fully vowelled: In the printed Quran, every Haraka is written — no guessing is needed. That is why a beginner can read the Quran with confidence once the three short vowels are learned.

Example

One word, three vowels: Read كَتَبَ letter by letter: كَ (ka) + تَ (ta) + بَ (ba) = kataba — "he wrote". Now read كُتُبٌ (books): كُ (ku) + تُ (tu) + بٌ (bun). The same three letters, different vowels, different word. The vowels carry the meaning.

Key Terms

• Harakat (حَرَكَات) — the short vowel marks: Fatha, Kasra, and Damma
• Fatha (فَتْحَة) — the short "a" sound, written above the letter
• Kasra (كَسْرَة) — the short "i" sound, written below the letter
• Damma (ضَمَّة) — the short "u" sound, written above the letter

Quran or Hadith

Quran 1:1 — بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ — "In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate." — to be checked. Every letter in the Basmalah carries a Haraka — read it slowly, letter by letter, and hear all three short vowels working together.

Fresh diagram to be drawn: One letter ب shown three times — with Fatha above (بَ = ba), with Kasra below (بِ = bi), with Damma above (بُ = bu) — in Project Desk colours.