Chapter 4 of 17 · Explore the Farsi path

The script · Chapter 4 of 17

How Persian letters join and change shape

The same letter can look different on its own and inside a word. Learn to recognise it after it joins, and use the dots to tell similar letters apart.

≈ 6 min of reading · Practise at your own pace

What’s in this chapter

Most letters join to the ones next to them. Their shape changes a bit when they join.
A lot of letters have the same shape. Look at the dots to tell them apart.
Seven letters do not join to the letter that comes next as you read from right to left.
That’s why a word can have a gap in the middle.
Persian added پ چ ژ گp ch zh g to the Arabic-derived alphabet.

The same letter, alone and inside a word

Start with ب, the b sound. Follow it through four positions. Its shape changes, but the dot below helps you recognise it each time.

بbe
b as in bed
One boat-shaped bowl with one dot below.
- بisol
- بـinit
- ـبـmed
- ـبfin
باباbâbâ
“dad”

The extra strokes connect the letters. They aren’t new letters.

Use the dots to tell letters apart

A shape family is a group of letters with the same basic outline. The dots change the sound. Compare one row at a time; you don’t have to learn every family today.

Family	Sounds
ب پ ت ثb p t s	one bowl; dots below or above
ج چ ح خj ch h kh	one hooked bowl
د ذd z	one bent stroke
ر ز ژr z zh	one falling stroke
س شs sh	three teeth
ص ضs z	one heavy bowl; same modern Persian sounds as other s/z letters
ط ظt z	one upright bowl
ع غ' gh	one curved shape; a dot distinguishes gh
ف قf gh	a small loop; dot pattern distinguishes them
ک گk g	g adds a stroke to k

Look for these letters inside words

Now try recognising a letter while it is joined to others. Each row gives you the shape to look for and words where it appears.

Look for	Hear it in
مm	منman“I; me”
شsh and یi / y	شیرshir“milk; lion” · یادyâd“memory”
فf and کk	فیلfil“elephant” · کتابketâb“book”
چch and وv / u / ow	چایchây“tea” · روزruz“day”
ژzh and غ قgh	ژالهzhâle“dew” · غذاghazâ“food” · قلمghalam“pen”
حh and طt	حیاطhayât“yard” · طوطیtuti“parrot”
ث صs	ثانیهsâniye“second” · صداsedâ“sound; voice”
ذ ز ض ظz	غذاghazâ“food” · روزruz“day” · ضعیفza'if“weak” · ظهرzohr“noon”
ع	عکسaks“photo”: in everyday Persian, ع often has no separate sound. Between vowels it can sound like a small break.

Different letters can spell the same modern Persian sound. Learn which one a word uses along with the word, as you learn c in “city” and s in “bus.”

Match and read a few new words

Use the words above. Read from right to left, then open the answer.

Match مm to the word that starts with it: من or فیل?
Show answer +Hide answer −
منman“I; me”. The short a is not written.
چای
ch + â + y
Show answer +Hide answer −
چایchây“tea”
فیل
f + i + l
Show answer +Hide answer −
فیلfil“elephant”
کتاب
k + hidden e + t + â + b
Show answer +Hide answer −
کتابketâb“book”

Why some letters leave a gap

These seven letters do not connect to the next letter on their left. Knowing them helps you tell a gap inside one word from the space between two words.

Letters	What to notice
ا د ذ ر ز ژ وâ d z r z zh v/u	They may join to the letter before them, but not onward to the next letter.

“Before” and “next” refer to reading order: right to left.

One word can contain a gap

درختderakht“tree”

د | ر | خت

Both د and ر stop the next join. The two gaps do not create extra words.

پرندهparande“bird”

پر | ند | ه

ر stops the join before ن, and د stops the join before final ه. It is still one word.

A letter that stops a join can connect to the letter on its right, but not to the next letter on its left.

Count words, not gaps

How many words are in درخت?
A narrow break after a non-joiner is not a space.
Show answer +Hide answer −
One word: درختderakht“tree”.
How many words are in پرنده?
Show answer +Hide answer −
One word: پرندهparande“bird”.

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