---
lang: en
type: Language
record_kind: entity-profile
title: Arabic
description: Arabic is a Central Semitic language with root-and-pattern morphology and diglossia between Modern Standard Arabic and diverse spoken varieties. It is the liturgical language of Islam and an official language in 26 countries across the Arab world.
llms_summary: "Arabic. Language. Grammatical Typology VSO/SVO, Fusional, Root-and-pattern. L1 Native Speakers 310000000 (310M). Language Family Afro-Asiatic / Semitic / Central Semitic. Language Vitality Index 10/10 (Global) scale. Number of Countries 26 countries. Standard Script Arabic abjad. Total Speakers 370000000 (370M). UNESCO Risk Category Safe. Web Domain Share (%) 0.6 %. Writing System Complexity Level 3 (Abjad) level. Linguistics & Culture. Arabic is a Central Semitic language with root-and-pattern morphology and diglossia between Modern Standard Arabic and diverse spoken varieties. It is the liturgical language of Islam and an official language in 26 countries across the Arab world.  canonical profile on Structured Pages"
canonical: "https://structuredpages.com/arabic/"
og_image: "https://structuredpages.com/images/languages/arabic/arabic.webp"
primary_image: "https://structuredpages.com/images/languages/arabic/arabic.webp"
site: structured-pages
slug: arabic
date_created: 2026-09-11
date_modified: 2026-09-11
license: All rights reserved
entities:
  -
    role: subject
    slug: arabic
    name: Arabic
    type: Language
    profile_url: "https://structuredpages.com/arabic/index.md"
---
# Arabic

Arabic is a Central Semitic language with root-and-pattern morphology and diglossia between Modern Standard Arabic and diverse spoken varieties. It is the liturgical language of Islam and an official language in 26 countries across the Arab world.

*Last updated: 2026-09-11*

## Record

- **Title**: [Arabic](https://structuredpages.com/arabic/index.md)
- **Use case**: Linguistics & Culture
- **CTA**: [See if Structured Pages fits your catalog](mailto:chris62475@gmail.com?subject=Structured%20Pages%20Catalog%20Inquiry)
- **CTA note**: Email chris62475@gmail.com to talk it through. Live demos on structuredpages.com.

### Description

#### Historical Evolution

Arabic descends from Proto-Semitic, with Classical Arabic preserved through the Qur'an and pre-Islamic poetry. The Arab conquests spread the language from Iberia to Central Asia; regional koines evolved into modern dialects (Egyptian, Levantine, Maghrebi, Gulf). Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) unifies formal media and education while remaining no one's native mother tongue.

#### Phonology

MSA maintains emphatic consonants (ص, ض, ط, ظ), pharyngeals (ع, ح), uvular fricatives, and vowel length contrasts. Dialects simplify or merge emphatics and vary vowel systems substantially. Root consonants typically appear as C–C–C templates mapped to vowel melodies for derivation.

#### Syntax

MSA is VSO or SVO-flexible with rich nominal inflection (case, definiteness, gender, number). Verbs inflect for person, gender, number, mood, and voice via templatic patterns. Negation, aspect, and modality differ markedly between MSA and colloquial varieties, which often use bipartite negation particles and very different lexicon.

### Categories

- language
- semitic

### Attributes

| Property | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Grammatical Typology | VSO/SVO, Fusional, Root-and-pattern |
| L1 Native Speakers | 310000000 (310M) |
| Language Family | Afro-Asiatic / Semitic / Central Semitic |
| Language Vitality Index | 10/10 (Global) scale |
| Number of Countries | 26 countries |
| Standard Script | Arabic abjad |
| Total Speakers | 370000000 (370M) |
| UNESCO Risk Category | Safe |
| Web Domain Share (%) | 0.6 % |
| Writing System Complexity | Level 3 (Abjad) level |

## Arabic Alphabet

The Arabic alphabet contains 28 basic letters. The table shows each letter's name, positional forms, transliteration, IPA pronunciation, numeric value, and Sun/Moon Letter classification.

| Letter | Name | Isolated Form | Initial Form | Medial Form | Final Form | Transliteration | IPA | Numeric Value | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| ا | Alif | ا | ا | ـا | ـا | ā / ʾ | /ʔ/, /aː/ | 1 | Moon Letter |
| ب | Ba | ب | بـ | ـبـ | ـب | b | /b/ | 2 | Moon Letter |
| ت | Ta | ت | تـ | ـتـ | ـت | t | /t/ | 400 | Sun Letter |
| ث | Tha | ث | ثـ | ـثـ | ـث | th | /θ/ | 500 | Sun Letter |
| ج | Jim | ج | جـ | ـجـ | ـج | j | /d͡ʒ/ | 3 | Moon Letter |
| ح | Ḥa | ح | حـ | ـحـ | ـح | ḥ | /ħ/ | 8 | Moon Letter |
| خ | Kha | خ | خـ | ـخـ | ـخ | kh | /x/ | 600 | Moon Letter |
| د | Dal | د | د | ـد | ـد | d | /d/ | 4 | Sun Letter |
| ذ | Dhal | ذ | ذ | ـذ | ـذ | dh | /ð/ | 700 | Sun Letter |
| ر | Ra | ر | ر | ـر | ـر | r | /r/ | 200 | Sun Letter |
| ز | Zay | ز | ز | ـز | ـز | z | /z/ | 7 | Sun Letter |
| س | Sin | س | سـ | ـسـ | ـس | s | /s/ | 60 | Sun Letter |
| ش | Shin | ش | شـ | ـشـ | ـش | sh | /ʃ/ | 300 | Sun Letter |
| ص | Ṣad | ص | صـ | ـصـ | ـص | ṣ | /sˤ/ | 90 | Sun Letter |
| ض | Ḍad | ض | ضـ | ـضـ | ـض | ḍ | /dˤ/ | 800 | Sun Letter |
| ط | Ṭa | ط | طـ | ـطـ | ـط | ṭ | /tˤ/ | 9 | Sun Letter |
| ظ | Ẓa | ظ | ظـ | ـظـ | ـظ | ẓ | /ðˤ/ | 900 | Sun Letter |
| ع | ʿAyn | ع | عـ | ـعـ | ـع | ʿ | /ʕ/ | 70 | Moon Letter |
| غ | Ghayn | غ | غـ | ـغـ | ـغ | gh | /ɣ/ | 1000 | Moon Letter |
| ف | Fa | ف | فـ | ـفـ | ـف | f | /f/ | 80 | Moon Letter |
| ق | Qaf | ق | قـ | ـقـ | ـق | q | /q/ | 100 | Moon Letter |
| ك | Kaf | ك | كـ | ـكـ | ـك | k | /k/ | 20 | Moon Letter |
| ل | Lam | ل | لـ | ـلـ | ـل | l | /l/ | 30 | Sun Letter |
| م | Mim | م | مـ | ـمـ | ـم | m | /m/ | 40 | Moon Letter |
| ن | Nun | ن | نـ | ـنـ | ـن | n | /n/ | 50 | Sun Letter |
| ه | Ha | ه | هـ | ـهـ | ـه | h | /h/ | 5 | Moon Letter |
| و | Waw | و | و | ـو | ـو | w / ū | /w/, /uː/ | 6 | Moon Letter |
| ي | Ya | ي | يـ | ـيـ | ـي | y / ī | /j/, /iː/ | 10 | Moon Letter |