Urban Arabic Book 1

BEGINNER · LEVEL 1 OF 6

Every Arabic journey starts with the script — and Book 1 is where it clicks. Built by Saifi Institute for learners starting from zero, this guide takes you letter by letter through the Arabic alphabet, teaching you to read and write with real confidence. Because Urban Arabic uses the same script for both everyday Levantine speech and formal Arabic (fus’ha), what you learn here isn’t a shortcut — it’s the real foundation for both.

Across six structured lessons you’ll master every consonant, vowel and diacritical mark, learn the quirks of letters that change shape depending on their position in a word, and practice with real signs, menus and everyday text. Fun stories for each letter make the alphabet memorable, and a full section on typing in Arabic means you’ll be ready to text and type, not just handwrite.

By the end of this book, you’ll be able to:

• Read and write all Arabic consonants, vowels and diacritics
• Recognize how letters connect and change shape within words
• Sound out unfamiliar words using correct pronunciation
• Type in Arabic and read the Chat Alphabet used in texting

Best for: complete beginners with no prior reading knowledge of Arabic. Pairs naturally with Book 2 for a full beginner foundation.