Thaana for Arabic (އަލްކިތާބަތް އަލްމާލްދީފިޔްޔަ)

Thaana for Arabic was devised by by Aahan Kotian as a way to write Arabic with the Thaana script, which is normally used to write the Maldivian (Dhivehi) language of the Maldives. Finding shortcomings in the Arabic abjad, he decided to make use of the Thaana script to write Arabic because of it's potential to more effectively represent Arabic phonemes due to its consistent use of vowel diacritics throughout, addition of long vowel diacritics and lack of any multiple positional forms for a single letter. Aahan believes that the Thaana alphabet could be more widely adopted by Arabic language conorthography hobbyists due to its ease of use for writing and it's real world usage for writing Arabic in the Maldives.

Notable features

Type of writing system: Abjad / Consonant Alphabet
Words are written from right to left, but numerals are written from left to right.

Used to write: Arabic
Vowels are indicated with diacritics which appear above or below the consonants. When vowels are come at the beginning of a word or are pronounced separately, they are attached to the letter alifu.

Thaana for Arabic

Thaana for Arabic script

Download a script chart for Thaana for Arabic (Excel)

Notes

The glottal stop (ʔ) is written with only one symbol: އް.
Usually double consonants in Maldivian writing are written by placing the letter alifu in front of the consonant with a sukun or vowel killer on top. This is not done in this adaptation. Consonants are written with a vowel killers on top are placed in front of equivalent characters to indicate consonant doubling. Example: ކްކަ (kka), ބްބަ (bba).
When transcribing a glottal stop coming before a vowel one must write alifu with sukun on top before another alifu symbol with a vowel diacritic on top. Example: އްއަ (ʔa), އްއި (ʔi)

Sample text in Thaana for Arabic

ޔޫލަދު ޖަމީޢު އަންނާސި އްއަޙްރާރަން މުތަސާޥީނަ ފީ އަލްކަރާމަތި ޥަ އަލްޙުޤޫޤް. ޥަޤަދް ޥުހިބޫއް ޢަޤްލަން ޥަ ޟަމީރަން ޥަ ޢަލަޔްހިމް އްއަން ޔުޢާމިލަ ބަޢްޟުހުމް ބަޢްޟަން ބިރޫޙި އަލްއިޚާއް

Transliteration (Arabic script)

يُولَدُ جَمِيعُ النَّاسِ أحْرَاراً مُتَسَاوِينَ فِي الْكَرَامَةِ وَالحُقُوقِ. وَقَدْ وُهِبُوا عَقْلاً وَ ضَمِيراً وَ عَلَيهِمْ أنْ يُعَامِلَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضاً بِرُوحِ اَلإخَاء

Transliteration (Latin script)

Yūladu jamī‘u n-nāsi aḥrāran mutasāwīna fī l-karāmati wa-l-ḥuqūq. Wa-qad wuhibū ‘aqlan wa-ḍamīran wa-‘alayhim an yu‘āmila ba‘ḍuhum ba‘ḍan bi-rūḥi l-ikhā’.

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Information about Maldivian | Phrases | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Adapted scripts by Aahan Kotian

Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics for Cherokee (ᙦᘧᗳ), Neo-Tifinagh for Arabic (ⴻⴰⵍⴽⵉⵜⴰⴰⴱⴰⵜ ⴻⴰⵏⵄⴰⵎⴰⴰⵣⵉⵖⵉⵢⵢⴰ), Saurashtra for Gujarati (ꢱꣃꢬꢵꢰ꣄ꢜ꣄ꢬ ꢭꢶꢦꢶ), Thaana for Arabic (އަލްކިތާބަތް އަލްމާލްދީފިޔްޔަ)

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