الْفَتْحَةُ وَالْكَسْرَةُ وَالضَّمَّةُ

You know the 28 letters. But a letter on its own does not yet know which sound to make! To make it speak, we add a tiny sign: a short vowel (in Arabic: ḥaraka).

1. The fatḥa ـَ A little line above the letter. It says "a". بَ = ba مَ = ma كَ = ka

2. The kasra ـِ A little line below the letter. It says "i". بِ = bi مِ = mi كِ = ki

3. The ḍamma ـُ A tiny و above the letter. It says "u" (as in "put"). بُ = bu مُ = mu كُ = ku

The little game of the three voices: بَ بِ بُ → ba bi bu تَ تِ تُ → ta ti tu سَ سِ سُ → sa si su

And now, little words all in fatḥa: كَتَبَ ka-ta-ba: he wrote ✏️ جَلَسَ ja-la-sa: he sat down 🪑

You already know a kasra! In "Bismillah", the very first sound is بِ bi.

Little activity: your parent points to a letter with a little sign, and you say the sound. Then swap roles!

Understanding the lesson

Explanation A letter is like a musical instrument: the short vowel says which note to play. The same ب can say "ba", "bi" or "bu". These little signs are very precious. Thanks to them, everyone can read the Qur'an without mistakes, even someone who does not speak Arabic yet. Muslim scholars added them to help people read well [À VÉRIFIER : formulation historique]. Allah asks us to read the Qur'an slowly and well: وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا wa rattili l-qur'aana tartiilaa "And recite the Qur'an slowly and well." (meaning of verse 73:4) So we do not rush: we look carefully at each little sign.

Lessons to draw from it • A tiny sign changes the sound: I read carefully, letter by letter. • I read slowly: it is not a race! • I am happy: now I can make the letters speak.

Key points to remember • Fatḥa ـَ (line above) = a. • Kasra ـِ (line below) = i. • Ḍamma ـُ (little و above) = u. • Allah asks us to recite the Qur'an slowly and well (73:4).

The main message The short vowels give the letters a voice: I read gently and carefully, as Allah asks.