The Arabic Writing System

Arabic writing can be split into two types: Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic. For those wanting to do business in Arabic-speaking markets, the former is the more important of the two. Modern Standard Arabic writing is common to all the countries in the Arab world, and is used in newspapers, magazines, books, and government documents. Classical Arabic writing, on the other hand, is used solely for text found in the Qur’an and classical Arabic literature.¹

The Arabic Language
Translation into Arabic
Arabic Translators

Below are some of the main features of Modern Standard Arabic writing:

Words are written from right to left.
Numbers are written from left to right.
The Arabic alphabet derives from the Aramaic script and contains 28 letters.
Depending on where they are placed in a word (beginning, middle, end, or standalone), some Arabic letters will change form.
Except in very rare cases, letters are always joined together in Arabic writing (both written and typed).

For additional information on the Modern Standard Arabic writing system, you can check out the following resources on the Web at:

http://www.ontopia.net/i18n/language.jsp?id=4173

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/arabic.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Standard_Arabic

For information on The Arabic Language, please see our Quick Facts Library.

¹ “Arabic Script” Omniglot: A Guide to Writing Systems
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/arabic.htm
[Accessed November 11, 2004]