How to Write English Names Using the Arabic Alphabet

Have you ever written your name in another alphabet? Whether you're learning Cyrillic, Hebrew, Japanese calligraphy or something else, you can test your understanding of a new writing system by using it to spell out your own name. This will help you get a head start on learning how to write in a new language, as well as give you an idea of how your name sounds and reads in another culture.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pencil or pen
• Paper
• English-Arabic alphabet table

Altering Sounds

1. Write your name in English and separate the letters by sound. Many sounds do not translate from English into Arabic, and so you may have to modify the spelling of your name to create a correct transcription.

2. Study the differences between English and Arabic vowels. In Arabic, only three vowels are written as separate letters: "a" as in "khan," "o" as in "pool" and "e" as in "deep." The long vowel "u" (as in "tube") and "i" (as in "pin") are replaced with the aforementioned "o" and "e," respectively.

3. Decide whether or not to omit the short vowels in your name. This is common in Arabic; most would write "Canada" as though it were spelled "Cnda," for instance.

Writing Your Name

4. Write the Arabic letters that correspond to your name using your English-Arabic alphabet table. The writers at Omniglot urge learners to remember that, unlike English, Arabic is written from right to left.

5. Choose the variant of each letter that appears at the appropriate place in your name. Most tables separate letters into four distinct variants: a final letter, which is written at the end of a word; a medial letter, which appears in the middle; an Initial letter, which appears at the beginning; and an isolated letter, which you can use for initials and single-letter words.

6. Add a specific dash above the consonant preceding a short vowel (if you choose to include them). These dashes, according to Omniglot, are:
   
   Fatha--for "a," as in "man"
   Dammah--for "o," as in "son"
   Kasrah--for "e," as in "pen."

7. Add a sukoun (a small circle) above any consonants that are not followed by a vowel.

References

• Speak 7: Arabic Translation
• Omniglot: Arabic script