Arabic keyboard online
Type Arabic without installing anything. Click the keys or use your own keyboard, add vowel marks, then copy the result wherever you need it.
Using the keyboard
Everything types into the box at the top, right to left, and stays there until you clear it. You can click the keys, or ignore them entirely and type on your own keyboard — the layout is the standard Arabic 101, the same one that ships with Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Turn on Show English keys and each key displays the Latin letter it sits under, which is the fastest way to build the muscle memory for a real Arabic keyboard.
Hold Shift (or tap the Shift key) for the second character printed on each key. That's where the hamza forms and most of the punctuation live, including the Arabic comma ، and question mark ؟, both of which are mirrored compared to their English counterparts.
Where the letters sit
The layout isn't random. The most frequent letters cluster on the home row — ا on H, ل on G, ت on J, ن on K, م on L — so that common words fall under the strongest fingers. Letters that share a skeleton and differ only in dots tend to sit near each other too, which makes them easier to remember as a group.
| QWERTY key | Arabic letter | Name |
|---|---|---|
| h | ا | alif |
| g | ل | lām |
| j | ت | tāʾ |
| k | ن | nūn |
| l | م | mīm |
| f | ب | bāʾ |
| d | ي | yāʾ |
| v | ر | rāʾ |
Vowel marks, and when to bother
Arabic writes long vowels as letters and short vowels as small marks — harakat — that sit above and below the line. Everyday Arabic leaves them out completely: news, books, signs and messages are all written unvocalised, and readers fill in the vowels from context. You'll want them in three situations: writing for learners, quoting the Quran or poetry, and spelling out a name where the pronunciation isn't obvious.
Type the consonant first, then the mark — a haraka attaches to the character immediately before it. The shadda ـّ doubles a consonant, and it stacks: a letter can carry both a shadda and a vowel mark at once.
Two sets of numerals
Arabic is written with two numeral systems, both entirely standard. The Arabic-Indic digits ٠١٢٣٤٥٦٧٨٩ are used across the Middle East, while the Western digits you already know — which Europe borrowed from Arabic in the first place — are standard in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and in most international writing. Numbers run left to right in both systems, even inside right-to-left text.
Once you can type it, the next step is reading it fluently. The alphabet trainer covers all 28 letters and their positional forms, and essential Arabic phrases gives you something worth typing. To write a specific name correctly, use the name-in-Arabic tool instead of spelling it out by hand.
Frequently asked questions
How do I type Arabic without an Arabic keyboard?
Click the on-screen keys above, or just start typing on your own keyboard — the layout below matches the standard Arabic 101 layout, so pressing "h" produces ا, "l" produces م, and so on. Hold Shift for the second character shown on each key. When you're done, hit Copy.
How do I add vowel marks (harakat)?
Use the harakat row above the keyboard, or hold Shift and press Q, A, E, R, S or X on the main layout. A haraka attaches to the letter you typed immediately before it, so type the consonant first, then the mark.
Why is my Arabic text showing as separate, disconnected letters?
That happens when text is pasted into software that does not support Arabic shaping — some design tools, older PDF generators and a few games. The characters are correct; only the rendering is broken. Paste into a program with proper Arabic support, or use a font that includes Arabic shaping tables.
How do I type the hamza — أ, إ, ئ, ؤ, ء?
Each has its own key. Bare hamza ء is on X, hamza on ya ئ is on Z, hamza on waw ؤ is on C, and alif with hamza أ is Shift+H. Which one you need depends on the surrounding vowels — أ and إ sit on alif at the start of a word, ؤ follows a u sound, and ئ follows an i sound.
Can I switch between Arabic and Western numerals?
Yes. The number row types Arabic-Indic numerals (١٢٣) by default, which is what you see in the Middle East. Use the toggle above the keyboard to switch to Western numerals (123), standard in North Africa and in most international contexts.
Does this work on a phone?
It does — the keys are laid out to stay usable on a small screen. On mobile you may find your device's built-in Arabic keyboard faster: add it under Settings, then Keyboards, and switch with the globe key.