اطلبوا العلم من المهد إلى اللحد (Seek education from the cradle to the grave.)
Arabic Proverb
If you've decided to learn Arabic, congratulations! This is a beautiful language with over 300 million speakers around the world. Whether taking Arabic lessons, teaching yourself, or learning online, Arabic writing skills are essential.
There's just one thing, though. Most variants of Arabic across the Arab world use Modern Standard Arabic, the written form used for formal communication among Arabic speakers. This uses the Arabic writing system, which isn't immediately accessible for most computers and smartphones.
You can install an Arabic keyboard on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or almost any other device. In this article, we'll detail how to install and use an Arabic keyboard and also some other useful tools to help you on your way.
Why You Should Install an Arabic Keyboard
Many European languages, including English, use the Latin alphabet, which has 26 letters, which you're familiar with (though different languages may add or remove letters from this).
For most of these languages, you can type using your regular keyboard and learn some shortcuts for special characters.
However, Arabic letters are entirely different from the letters in the English alphabet, so you'll need to install an Arabic keyboard to start translating from English to Arabic or writing in Arabic.
The Arabic writing system (which isn't technically an alphabet) has 28 letters, and you can easily install an Arabic keyboard onto your computer or device.
letters
letters
Here are some of the benefits of installing an Arabic keyboard (physically or virtually):
- Typing using an Arabic keyboard will help you better remember the letters used in the Arabic writing system. However, you can find lots of more tips for learning Arabic online.
- There are ways to seamlessly switch between keyboards without changing your device's keyboard.
How to Install an Arabic Keyboard on Your Computer
When we say installing an Arabic keyboard, this doesn't mean you need to buy a new keyboard for your device.
Changing your keyboard settings means you can type in Arabic using your regular English-language keyboard.
You can always buy English/Arabic stickers if you can't remember which key is which.
As far as your computer is concerned, each key on a keyboard has a unique location and identifier and can represent any key you'd like. The stickers or engravings that feature on the keys are simply for the benefit of humans.
Whether you're using Windows or Mac, you can easily install an Arabic keyboard layout. You can switch effortlessly between your English and Arabic layout at the press of a button. Once you start using the Arabic layout, when you press a key, your computer will register the key pressed as the appropriate relevant Arabic character.
Installing an Arabic Keyboard on Windows
Different versions of Windows will have slightly different instructions for doing this, but changing keyboards on Windows will typically follow these steps:
- Open the Control Panel.
- Go to “Region and Language”.
- Select “Keyboards and Languages”.
- Click “Change keyboards”.
- Choose “Arabic” from the list of available languages.
You can now use the language bar in the bottom corner of the screen to switch between the Arabic keyboard layout and your standard Qwerty keyboard layout.
When using the Arabic setting, your computer will respond as if your keyboard uses the Arabic layout. You can always buy special Arabic keyboard stickers or even Arabic and English stickers to help you. You can see what each button represents when you type in English and Arabic.
Installing an Arabic Keyboard on a Mac
Like Windows, different versions of MacOS may have slightly different instructions, but they will generally work.
- Open “System Preferences”.
- Click on “Keyboard”.
- Go to “Input Sources".
- Click the “+” to add a new keyboard.
- Select Arabic from the list of languages.
You can now toggle between Arabic and English keyboard settings using the flag icon in the upper right corner of your menu bar.
Mac users can also display the keyboard layout on their screen, which can help if you don't plan to replace the stickers on your keyboard.
Writing in Arabic on Your Smartphone
While some may prefer typing on a physical keyboard for various reasons, virtual or onscreen keyboards do have a huge advantage when switching between languages.
On your smartphone, for example, you can see the change reflected on the keys displayed on your screen when you switch from English to Arabic keyboard layouts.
This is also incredibly easy to do whether using an Android device or an iPhone.
The hardware that you typically find on desktop and laptop computers. This has mechanical buttons that you can press to type.
The keyboard that appears on the screens of touchscreen devices. Without physical buttons, these can easily be changed to any layout.
How to Add an Arabic Keyboard on an iPhone
As always, different versions may differ slightly.
- Open “Settings”.
- Go to “General”.
- Select “Keyboard”.
- Tap “Add New Keyboard”.
- Choose “Arabic” from the list.
Once you've installed the Arabic keyboard on your iPhone, you can change between installed keyboards by pressing the globe icon on your keyboard.
There are also options to customize your keyboard layout for different Arabic dialects, with there also being major differences between written and spoken Arabic that you'll need to be aware of.
Installing an Arabic Keyboard on Android Devices
Android users can change their keyboard layouts using a similar approach to iPhone users.
- Open “Settings”.
- Go to “Languages & Input”.
- Select “Virtual Keyboard”.
- Tap “Gboard” or your default keyboard app.
- Tap “Languages”.
- Choose “Arabic”.
Android users can download different Arabic keyboard layouts on the Play Store, just like Apple users.
Learn More Arabic with Translation Apps
Whether you need an Arabic-to-English translation to understand something in Arabic or an English-to-Arabic translation to say or write something, apps can be helpful.
Just remember that, as with all translation apps, they can make mistakes, so avoid using them in important situations, especially when you're traveling around the Arab world.
Here are some translation apps you can refer to:
- Google Translate: Google Translate is one of the most popular translation tools, immediately accessible on Google or via an app. You can use it to translate Arabic into English and English into Arabic. You can also translate text and speech directly from your phone or another device with a camera or microphone.
- Microsoft Translator: This app also offers text and voice translation from Arabic to English (and vice versa). It's useful for short sentences and phrases, which is useful when traveling, but it's always worthwhile learning Arabic and using words and phrases in appropriate situations to avoid causing offense.
- Reverso: This app uses contextual translation and can help learn the nuances of certain Arabic phrases. Seeing phrases in context can help you learn when such phrases and vocabulary are appropriate.
- Itranslate: The iTranslate app offers translations from Arabic to English and from English to Arabic. Like the other options, it can also be used for text and voice.
- Lingvanex: This app offers text and speech recognition for Arabic to English or English to Arabic translation. Its best feature is its offline functionality, which is useful if you have limited internet access.
We can't stress this enough: Do not use these apps to have conversations in Arabic. Instead, use them when you can't find the right word or are having difficulties understanding something in Arabic.
Translation apps have many limitations, especially when understanding things in context. Use them to complement the Arabic you've learned rather than as a way to avoid learning the language.
Struggling to memorize the Arabic alphabet? This video could help.
Learn Arabic with Superprof
Arabic is a challenging language for English speakers to learn. Arabic can be pretty difficult, unlike other languages, which may share a lot of vocabulary and even use the same alphabet.
Don't worry, though! There are resources like translation apps, textbooks, Arabic courses, and even Arabic tutors.
When it comes to learning a foreign language, one of the best resources available is a dedicated tutor who can tailor every minute of every session to you to ensure that you learn what you need to learn in the most effective way possible.
Students need help learning a foreign language more often than not because they're in classes that are neither engaging nor tailored for the individual learner. Most students are bored by their classes, forced to discuss topics in a foreign language they are not interested in and learn phrases and expressions they'll never use.
A private tutor, such as those on the Superprof website, can teach you Arabic through the things you're interested in, whether it's music, cinema, literature, or traveling. Find your ideal Superprof tutor and start learning Arabic today!
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Hello, you can send an email to hey@superprof.com to help you find a tutor to do this.
شكرا
How to join Arabic letters
It didn’t give choice to clearly download Arabic alphabet into my keyboard
Hello Abdul! 😊 Thank you for your comment. To answer this question properly, I will first need to know if you have a Mac or Windows computer. You can also scroll up in the article under the title ‘How to Install an Arabic Keyboard on Your Computer’ and it will provide you with the correct instructions.