Arabic letter joining
Arabic letters change shape when they connect. Type a word to see each letter’s contextual form — and inspect all four forms of any letter.
Join letters
Type an Arabic word
The tool shows how each letter changes shape depending on its neighbours.
Short words work best. Diacritics and tatweel stay attached to their letter.
Try a word
Joined preview
ﻣﺤﻤﺪ
Presentation forms · display only
Letter chain
Every letter, in context
Select a letter to inspect its four forms.
Select a letter from the chain above
You will see its isolated, initial, medial, and final forms side by side.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the things learners ask most about this tool.
Why do Arabic letters change shape?
Arabic is a cursive script. Most letters connect to the letter before and after them, and the connection changes the letter’s outline. A letter can therefore appear in up to four contextual forms.
What are the four Arabic letter forms?
Isolated (no neighbour), initial (connects only to the next letter), medial (connects on both sides), and final (connects only to the previous letter). The tool highlights the form used in your word and shows all four side by side.
Which Arabic letters do not connect to the following letter?
Six common letters only connect to the preceding letter: ا (alif), د (dal), ذ (dhal), ر (ra), ز (zay), and و (waw). Hamza (ء) does not connect on either side. Other letters can connect in both directions.
Does the tool change my text?
No. The joined preview uses Unicode presentation forms for display, while the copy buttons give you the normal, standard Arabic text. Use the copied text for documents, messages, and search.
Do diacritics break the connection between letters?
No. Short vowels and other marks are written above or below the letters and are transparent to joining. The tool keeps them attached to their letter.
Why does the preview look different from my normal Arabic font?
The preview uses explicit presentation-form code points so the four shapes are visible even when a font does not shape a single isolated letter. Your normal Arabic text uses standard letters, and the font shapes them automatically.
Keep exploring
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