Arabic Phonetic Keyboard Online – Type Arabic with English Letters
🔤 PhoneticAbout Phonetic Mode
Type Arabic using English letters! Phonetic mode lets you type Arabic words the way they sound. Perfect for heritage speakers who know spoken Arabic but aren't familiar with the Arabic keyboard layout.
Use your own physical QWERTY keyboard! No need to click the virtual keys — just type naturally on your regular keyboard. The letters are automatically converted to Arabic as you type.
Leave the short vowels out. This is the one habit worth learning, and it is the one that surprises everyone. Arabic script does not write short vowels, so phonetic mode does not invent them: every letter you type becomes a letter on the page. Type the consonants and the long vowels only, the way the word is actually spelled — "slam" becomes "سلام", "ktab" becomes "كتاب", "shms" becomes "شمس", "qmr" becomes "قمر". Typing every vowel you hear gives you an alif for each one instead.
Common letter mappings: s→س, m→م, r→ر, h→ه, b→ب, l→ل, a→ا, k→ك, sh→ش, th→ث, kh→خ, gh→غ
Arabizi numbers also work: 3→ع (ain), 7→ح (ha), 5→خ (kha), 2→ء (hamza). These are not a shortcut — they are the only way to reach those letters, because h is already ه. Type "mr7ba" to get "مرحبا" and "3rby" to get "عربي".
Capital letters for emphatic sounds: S→ص (sad), D→ض (dad), T→ط (ta), Z→ظ (za), H→ح (strong h), Q→ق (qaf). Capitals work the same way the numbers do, so "Sba7 al5yr" becomes "صباح الخير".
Corrections work as you would expect. Phonetic mode reads one whole word at a time and redraws it on every keystroke, so a word keeps changing shape until you finish it — and backspace takes back the English letter you typed, not the Arabic one it produced. A space, a comma or Enter ends the word and settles it.
🔤 PhoneticFrequently Asked Questions
How does phonetic mode work?
Phonetic mode converts English letters to Arabic as you type. Type words the way they sound in Arabic, and we'll convert them automatically. Leave the short vowels out, the way Arabic spelling does. For example: "slam" → "سلام", "ahla" → "اهلا".
Can I use my physical keyboard?
Yes! Just use your regular QWERTY keyboard to type. Click in the text area and start typing — your English letters will automatically convert to Arabic. No need to click the virtual keys on screen.
What are the basic letter mappings?
Most letters map intuitively: b→ب, t→ت, s→س, m→م, n→ن, r→ر, l→ل, k→ك, f→ف, h→ه, w→و, y→ي. Vowels: a→ا, e/i→ي, o/u→و.
How do I type special Arabic sounds?
Use letter combinations for special sounds: sh→ش (sheen), th→ث (tha), kh→خ (kha), gh→غ (ghain), dh→ذ (dhal). Or use Arabizi numbers: 3→ع, 7→ح, 5→خ, 2→ء.
How do I type emphatic letters (ص، ض، ط، ظ)?
Use capital letters for emphatic consonants: S→ص (sad), D→ض (dad), T→ط (ta), Z→ظ (za). For example: "Sba7" → "صباح".
Can I switch back to the regular keyboard?
Yes! Click the green "Phonetic" button again to disable phonetic mode and return to the standard Arabic keyboard layout.
Why is there a slight delay when typing?
The system briefly waits to see if you're typing a multi-letter combination (like "sh" for ش). This ensures accurate conversion. The delay is typically under half a second.
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