Farsi Alphabet — Complete Guide with Pronunciation, Transliteration & Writing Forms
The Farsi (Persian) alphabet is the foundation of everything — reading poetry by Hafez, writing to family in Iran, teaching your children their heritage language, or simply recognising the script you see on Persian signs and books. This complete guide covers all 32 letters with their names, sounds, English transliteration, all four written forms, and the four letters that make Persian unique from Arabic.
Quick Facts
32
Letters in the Farsi alphabet
RTL
Written right to left
4
Forms per letter (position-based)
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How the Farsi Alphabet Works — Before You Start
Before diving into the letters, there are four things about the Farsi writing system that every beginner needs to understand. Getting these right from the start will save you weeks of confusion.
Written right to left — always
Farsi is written and read from right to left. Numbers, however, are written left to right (same direction as English numbers). When you open a Persian book, you open it from what feels like the “back” — the right side is the front cover.
Each letter has up to 4 forms
Because Farsi is a cursive script (letters connect to each other), each letter changes shape depending on its position in a word: standalone, beginning of a word (initial), middle of a word (medial), or end of a word (final). Most letters have 2-4 slightly different forms. This sounds complicated but becomes intuitive quickly.
Short vowels are mostly invisible
In everyday Persian writing, short vowels (a, e, o) are not written. They are implied. A native reader fills them in from context and familiarity. For beginners, this is the biggest challenge — but in educational texts for children and learners, vowel marks (harakat) are often added to help.
No capital letters
Farsi has no uppercase or lowercase distinction. Every letter is always written the same way regardless of whether it begins a sentence or a proper noun. This is one of the things that makes the alphabet easier to learn than European alphabets.
Complete Farsi Alphabet — All 32 Letters
The chart below shows all 32 letters of the Farsi alphabet in order, with their name, English sound equivalent, and transliteration symbol. Letters are listed from right to left as they appear in the Persian sequence.
| # | Letter | Name | Sound | Like in English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ا | Alef | ā / a | “a” in father | Long vowel when standalone; also acts as glottal stop |
| 2 | ب | Be | b | “b” in book | Same as English b |
| 3 | پ | Pe | p | “p” in paper | 🌟 Unique to Persian — does not exist in Arabic |
| 4 | ت | Te | t | “t” in table | Same as English t |
| 5 | ث | Se | s | “s” in sun | Arabic origin; pronounced as simple “s” in Persian |
| 6 | ج | Jim | j | “j” in jump | Hard j sound — not like French “j” |
| 7 | چ | Che | ch | “ch” in chair | 🌟 Unique to Persian — does not exist in Arabic |
| 8 | ح | He | h | “h” in hot (breathier) | Arabic origin; deeper h from the throat |
| 9 | خ | Khe | kh | “ch” in loch (Scottish) | Throaty sound from back of throat — like German Bach |
| 10 | د | Dal | d | “d” in door | Does not connect to the following letter |
| 11 | ذ | Zal | z | “z” in zoo | Arabic origin; pronounced as simple z in Persian |
| 12 | ر | Re | r | Rolled r (like Spanish) | Does not connect to the following letter |
| 13 | ز | Ze | z | “z” in zero | Clear z sound; does not connect to the following letter |
| 14 | ژ | Zhe | zh | “s” in measure / “j” in French | 🌟 Unique to Persian — appears in borrowed words like ژاپن (Japan) |
| 15 | س | Sin | s | “s” in sun | Three teeth-like marks above distinguish it from ش |
| 16 | ش | Shin | sh | “sh” in show | Three dots above distinguish from س |
| 17 | ص | Sad | s | “s” in sun (emphatic) | Arabic origin; pronounced as s in Persian (same as س and ث) |
| 18 | ض | Zad | z | “z” in zero (emphatic) | Arabic origin; pronounced as z in Persian |
| 19 | ط | Ta | t | “t” in table (emphatic) | Arabic origin; pronounced as t in Persian (same as ت) |
| 20 | ظ | Za | z | “z” in zero (emphatic) | Arabic origin; pronounced as z in Persian |
| 21 | ع | Ain | ‘ (glottal) | No English equivalent | In Persian, mostly a glottal stop or omitted; in Arabic it is a distinct pharyngeal sound |
| 22 | غ | Ghain | gh | French “r” (guttural) | Throat vibration — between gargling and the French r |
| 23 | ف | Fe | f | “f” in fan | Same as English f; one dot above |
| 24 | ق | Qaf | q / gh | Deep k from back of throat | In colloquial Persian, often sounds like غ; two dots above |
| 25 | ک | Kaf | k | “k” in king | Same as English k; Persian form differs from Arabic ك |
| 26 | گ | Gaf | g | “g” in go | 🌟 Unique to Persian — does not exist in Arabic |
| 27 | ل | Lam | l | “l” in lamp | Same as English l |
| 28 | م | Mim | m | “m” in moon | Same as English m |
| 29 | ن | Nun | n | “n” in now | Same as English n; one dot above |
| 30 | و | Vav | v / u / w | “v” in vine OR “oo” in food | Multi-purpose: consonant v, long vowel ū, and the conjunction “and” (و) |
| 31 | ه | He | h | “h” in hat | Soft h; at end of words often indicates the short vowel “e” (ـه = -eh) |
| 32 | ی | Ye | y / i | “y” in yes OR “ee” in see | Multi-purpose: consonant y, long vowel ī, and suffix “-i” meaning “a/an” |
The 4 Letters Unique to Persian — What Makes Farsi Different from Arabic
The Farsi alphabet shares 28 letters with Arabic but adds four letters for sounds that exist in Persian but not Arabic. These four letters are one of the clearest markers of Persian identity in the script — and they are worth focusing on early because they are extremely common.
پ
Pe — “p”
Like “p” in paper
پدر (pedar — father), پنجره (panjare — window), پارک (pārk — park)
چ
Che — “ch”
Like “ch” in chair
چای (chāy — tea), چشم (cheshm — eye), چهار (chahār — four)
ژ
Zhe — “zh”
Like “s” in measure or French “j”
ژاپن (zhāpon — Japan), ژنو (Zheno — Geneva), ژله (zheleh — jelly)
گ
Gaf — “g”
Like “g” in go — always hard
گل (gol — flower), گرم (garm — warm), گوش (gush — ear)
For Heritage Families
Help Your Child Learn to Read in Farsi
Learning the Farsi alphabet is the first step — and the most important one. At Danaa School, our native tutors teach reading and writing to heritage children through personalised 1-on-1 online lessons, designed specifically for children growing up outside Iran who need a structured approach to the script.
Book a Free Trial Lesson →Vowels in Farsi — Short and Long
This is the part that confuses most beginners. Persian has both long vowels (written as letters) and short vowels (usually invisible in everyday writing).
Long Vowels — Written as Letters
| Letter | Name | Sound | Like in English | Example word |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | Alef | ā | “a” in father (long) | آب (āb — water) |
| و | Vav | u / ū | “oo” in food (long) | بوم (bum — owl) |
| ی | Ye | i / ī | “ee” in see (long) | شیر (shir — lion / milk) |
Short Vowels — Usually Invisible
| Mark (harakat) | Name | Sound | Like in English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ◌َ (zabar) | Fatha | a | “a” in cat (short) | Mark above the letter; omitted in most adult texts |
| ◌ِ (zir) | Kasra | e | “e” in pen (short) | Mark below the letter; omitted in most adult texts |
| ◌ُ (pish) | Zamma | o | “o” in go (short) | Mark above the letter; omitted in most adult texts |
Farsi Alphabet for Kids & Heritage Learners — Where to Start
If you are a parent teaching a heritage child, or a beginner starting from scratch, here is the most effective order and approach.
Learn to recognise the 4 Persian-only letters first
پ، چ، ژ، گ — these are unique to Persian and appear in extremely common words. Recognising them immediately gives you a foundation.
Learn the “simple shape” letters
Letters with only 1-2 forms and clear English sound equivalents: ب، پ، ت، ج، چ، د، ر، ز، س، ش، ف، ک، گ، ل، م، ن، و، ه، ی. These form the backbone of most Persian words.
Tackle the Arabic-origin letters
Letters like ص، ض، ط، ظ، ع، غ، ق are from Arabic. In Persian they often sound the same as simpler letters (ص = س, ض = ز, ط = ت). Learning them is about recognition, not new sounds.
Read words from day one
Don’t wait until you know all 32 letters. As soon as you know 10-15 letters, start reading simple Persian words. Recognition comes from reading, not memorising charts.
Practical Tips for Learning the Farsi Alphabet Faster
Group letters by shape family, not alphabetical order. Several Persian letters share the same base shape and differ only by dots: ب، پ، ت، ث all use the same base; ج، چ، ح، خ share another base. Learning these families together is far more efficient than memorising the alphabet linearly.
The 6 non-connecting letters are a gift. Six letters in Farsi do not connect to the letter that follows them: ا، د، ذ، ر، ز، و. This means you can always identify word boundaries more easily when one of these appears. Learn to recognise them early.
Use your name. If you have a Persian name — or know someone who does — learning to write it in Farsi script is one of the most motivating early exercises. It immediately makes the abstract letters personal and memorable.
Read children’s books in Farsi. Persian children’s books include full vowel marks (harakat), which makes reading much easier for beginners. Starting with these books — even as an adult learner — removes the “invisible vowel” problem and builds confidence quickly.
Daily 10-minute practice beats weekly 2-hour sessions. The alphabet is pattern recognition — it improves most through short, consistent exposure. Spending 10 minutes every day reading Persian text (even if you do not understand all the words) builds script fluency faster than any other method.
Learn the Farsi Alphabet with Danaa School
At Danaa School, we teach the Farsi alphabet through structured 1-on-1 lessons — combining letter recognition, writing practice, and reading real words from the first session. Our tutors specialise in heritage learners and diaspora children who need a structured approach to reading and writing in Persian.
Related: Learn Farsi online →
Frequently Asked Questions
How many letters are in the Farsi alphabet?
The Farsi (Persian) alphabet has 32 letters. It is based on the Arabic script (which has 28 letters) with four additional letters — پ (p), چ (ch), ژ (zh), and گ (g) — that represent sounds unique to Persian.
Is the Farsi alphabet the same as Arabic?
No — they are related but different. Persian uses a modified version of the Arabic script with the same 28 base letters plus four additional Persian-only letters. The letters look very similar, but the sounds differ significantly: several letters that have distinct sounds in Arabic are pronounced identically in Persian (for example, ص، س، ث are all pronounced “s” in Persian).
Is Farsi written right to left?
Yes. Farsi is written and read from right to left. Numbers are written left to right (same as English). When you open a Persian book, the spine is on the right and you read from what English readers would consider the “back” of the book.
How long does it take to learn the Farsi alphabet?
Most learners can recognise all 32 letters and read simple words within 4 to 8 weeks of consistent daily practice (10-15 minutes per day). Reading fluently — filling in the unwritten short vowels and reading at speed — takes longer and comes with sustained reading practice. Heritage learners who already speak some Persian typically progress faster because they can match sounds to letters more intuitively.
Why does Farsi not write short vowels?
Short vowels (a, e, o) are omitted from most adult Persian writing because native readers infer them from context and familiarity with the language. In educational materials for children, the Quran, and texts for learners, vowel marks (حرکت — harakat) are added above or below the letters. As your reading improves, you will find that the missing vowels become intuitive rather than a barrier.
Is the Farsi alphabet hard to learn?
Most learners find the Farsi alphabet significantly easier than expected. Advantages include: no capital letters, a largely consistent sound-letter relationship, and no silent letters (unlike English). The main challenges are learning the four written forms of each letter, the six non-connecting letters, and reading without short vowels. With structured practice and a good teacher, the basics can be mastered in a few weeks.
This table showcases how transliteration helps beginners ridge the gap between Farsi and English. Complete charts are availableonline, such as Danaa School’s resources (add a link to your preferred platform).
| Farsi Letter | English Sound | Example Word | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ا | a | آب | āb | Water |
| ب | b | باد | bād | Wind |
| پ | p | پارک | pārk | Park |
| ت | t | توپ | toup | Ball |
| ج | j | جان | jān | Soul |
| چ | ch | چشم | cheshm | Eye |
| گ | g | گل | gol | Flower |
How to Write Farsi Letters
In Farsi, letters take on different forms depending on their position in a word:
- Initial form: Beginning of a word.
- Medial form: Middle of a word.
- Final form: End of a word.
- Isolated form: Written alone.
For example, the letter ب (b) changes as follows:
- Initial: بـ (e.g., باد – “bād”)
- Medial: ـبـ (e.g., کتاب – “ketāb”)
- Final: ـب (e.g., شب – “shab”)
- Isolated: ب
Tips for Writing Farsi
1. Practice Each Letter in All Forms
Dedicate time to writing each letter in isolated, initial, medial, and final forms.
This helps you maintain consistent spacing and alignment as you practice cursive connections.
Begin by tracing letters, then move to freehand writing to build muscle memory.
The Role of Transliteration in Learning Farsi
Transliteration is converting Farsi script into Latin letters, making the language accessible to English speakers. While it’s a helpful starting point, relying solely on transliteration can limit your ability to read authentic Persian texts. Here’s how to use it effectively:
When to Use Transliteration
- Pronunciation Help: Use transliteration to learn how words sound before mastering the script.
- Word Recognition: Compare transliteration with written Farsi to familiarize yourself with the script.
When to Move Beyond Transliteration
- As you grow comfortable with the Farsi alphabet, focus on reading directly from the Persian script to improve fluency.
Practical Steps to Learn the Farsi Alphabet
1. Use a Farsi Alphabet Chart
An alphabet chart visually references letters, their sounds, and forms. Print one out and keep it on your study desk for quick access.
2. Learn Through Songs
Listening to Farsi alphabet songs makes memorization fun and engaging. Search for child-friendly versions online to start.
3. Break It Down
Don’t try to learn the entire alphabet in one go. Focus on 5–6 letters daily, practicing their forms and sounds.
4. Combine Reading and Writing
- Reading Practice: Start with simple Farsi words and their transliterations.
- Writing Practice: Write these words in Farsi multiple times to reinforce memory.
5. Leverage Online Resources
Websites like Danaa School offer structured lessons, videos, and interactive exercises tailored for beginners.
Common Challenges (And How to Overcome Them)
Direction of Writing: Writing from right to left feels unnatural at first. Practice by copying simple words and sentences daily.
Connected Letters: Unlike English, most Farsi letters connect in words. Use tracing worksheets to get comfortable with the flow.
Short Vowels: Short vowels are often omitted in Farsi writing. Familiarize yourself with diacritical marks to infer pronunciation.
Connecting Farsi with English
Understanding the Farsi vs Arabic alphabet is helpful, as both share similarities. However, Persian is an Indo-European language, so its grammar and vocabulary align more closely with English than Arabic does. For instance:
- Farsi Grammar: Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) structure, similar to Japanese.
- Vocabulary: Many loanwords from English, French, and other languages (e.g., “television” = تلویزیون, televizion).
Learn Farsi with Danaa School
Learning Farsi with Danaa School is a transformative experience designed to make Persian language education accessible, engaging, and effective. At Danaa School, we understand that learning a new language requires more than just memorizing words and grammar—it’s about connecting with a rich culture and heritage.
Our expert tutors use interactive methods, including online classes, personalized lessons, and engaging activities, to help students master the Farsi alphabet, pronunciation, and conversational skills. With structured courses tailored for all ages, including children and adults, Danaa School is your trusted partner in discovering the beauty of Persian.
Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, we ensure a supportive environment where learning Farsi becomes a joyful journey.
Find Your Ideal Teacher
At Danaa School, you can choose your Farsi tutor from a selection of qualified and experienced teachers. Begin an exceptional journey into the world of Persian language!
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