Persian / Farsi Alphabet and Pronunciation

The Farsi alphabet consists of 32 letters, each representing a unique sound. These letters are written from right to left, in the same direction as Arabic. Like Arabic, the Farsi alphabet is written in cursive, with most letters connected to each other.

The Farsi alphabet can be divided into two categories: consonants and vowels. Consonants are letters that represent sounds made by blocking the flow of air with the mouth or throat. Vowels, on the other hand, are letters that represent the sounds made by the voice as it flows through the mouth and throat.

The Farsi alphabet has six vowels, each of which can be short or long. The short vowels are represented by the letters "a," "e," "i," "o," and "u." The long vowels are represented by the letters "ā," "ē," "ī," "ō," and "ū."

In addition to the basic vowel sounds, the Farsi alphabet also includes several special vowel marks, known as "diacritics." These diacritics are used to change the pronunciation of a vowel, or to indicate a certain emphasis or stress in a word.

The Farsi alphabet has 26 consonants, each representing a unique sound made by blocking the flow of air with the mouth or throat. These consonants are divided into two categories: "hard" and "soft." Hard consonants are those that are pronounced with more force and emphasis, while soft consonants are pronounced with less force and emphasis.

One of the most notable features of the Farsi alphabet is its use of "shaddah," a diacritic that indicates the gemination (doubling) of a consonant. This is used to indicate emphasis or to differentiate between words that are otherwise spelled the same but have different meanings.

Another important feature of the Farsi alphabet is its use of "hamza," a diacritic that indicates a glottal stop (a break in the flow of air in the throat). This is used to indicate a pause or break in the pronunciation of a word.

Persian Alphabet - Fact Sheet