The Persian alphabet (الفبای فارسی) is a 32-letter right-to-left script derived from Arabic, with four extra letters for sounds unique to Persian. Because the script is cursive, almost every letter changes shape depending on whether it begins, sits inside, ends, or stands alone in a word. This reference shows all four positional forms side by side, with the letter name and a Latin transliteration, so you can read, write, and type Farsi correctly.
How it works
Persian letters join to their neighbours, and the connection points determine the shape:
- Isolated — the bare letter with no connection on either side.
- Initial — connects only on its left (the word continues to the left in RTL).
- Medial — connects on both sides, inside a connected run.
- Final — connects only on its right, ending a run.
Seven letters are non-connecting on the left (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و). They never take initial or medial forms; the letter after them always restarts in its initial shape. The four Persian-only additions — پ چ ژ گ — were created by adding dots or a stroke to existing Arabic letters (for example گ is ک with an extra bar).
Example and tips
To write پدر (pedar, “father”), read right to left: پ takes its initial form, د is non-connecting so it appears in final form after پ, and ر follows as a separate isolated letter. Knowing which letters refuse to join leftward is the single biggest help when learning Persian handwriting.
Click any glyph in the table to copy it. Use the search box to filter by transliteration (type kh to find خ) or by name (type gaf to find گ).