Vietnamese Arabic (چىٰٖ جاوي تيٛەٖڭ ۏیٔەٖط)

The Vietnamese Arabic Script is an Arabic-derived script for Vietnamese created by Nima Farid. It is also known as Vietnamese Jawi Script, or chữ Jawi tiếng Việt in Vietnamese. It can be used as an alternative script, or as a systematized transliteration system to write Vietnamese words and phrases in the Arabic script.

This script also demonstrates the ability of the Arabic script to be adopted for representing a complex set of vowel sounds, as well as a variety of tones.

Notable features

Type of writing system: Abjad / Consonant alphabet
Direction of writing: right to left in horizontal lines
Used to write: Arabic
With the exception of [m] and [n], syllable-initial and syllable-final consonants are differentiated.
Different vowels are exclusively differentiated with diacritics under each letter, thus leaving the top of vowel letters open for tone diacritics.
It has tone diacritics.
Unlike other ways of writing Vietnamese, the aim of this script is to accurately reflect the pronounciation of the language.

Not many tonal languages are or have been written in the Arabic script, and in most cases, tones were left out and were to be deduced from context. Only a handful of languages mark tones one way or another in the Arabic script. The closest inspiration for the proposed Vietnamese Jawi script is the Arabic script for Shina language in Pakistani-controlled region of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Vietnamese Arabic alphabet

Download an alphabet chart for Vietnamese Arabic

Sample texts

توٕٛط کەٖࣤ مأي ڠوٚوٖي شيڽ ژەٖ دېٚو دىٖٚوٖق تىٖٔ ذا ۏەٖٚ بيٚڽ دۀٕڭ ۏېٚ ڽان فؤٕم ۏەٖٚ كوٚيەٖن لؤٖي.
مأي كان ڠىٖٚوٖي دېٚو دىٖٔوٖق تۀٖو ھوٛەٖ بەٖن چا لیٛ څیٛ ۏەٖٚ لىٖوٖڭ توٕم ۏەٖٚ كوٕٚن فەٖࣤي دۅٛي سىٖࣤ ۏوٖٛي ڽەٕو څوٕوڭ تيٚڽ ءەٖڽ ءەِم.

Transliteration

Tất cả mọi người sinh ra đều được tự do và bình đẳng về nhân phẩm và quyền lợi. Mọi con người đều được tạo hóa ban cho lý trí và lương tâm và cần phải đối xử với nhau trong tình anh em.

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)

بىٖࣤوٖ نەٕي لۀٖڽ مۀٕط څوٖٚي دي ڠوࣤ شوٖٛم،
ءەٖڽ ڽوٖٛ ءەِم، ءەِم ھوٰٖي! ءەٖڽ ڽوٖٛ ءەِم.
خۅڭ غيٚ بوٚۅن بەٕٚڭ ڽىٖࣤڭ بوࣤۅي چيٚەٖو ءەِم،
مەٖٚ ءەٖٛڽ شەٖٛڭ دېٚو ھوٚەٖ كوٚڭ بوٕٛوڭ تۅٛي.
جاٛ لىٖٛوٖط ثىٖٛوٖط كەِٛو ميٚڽ كوەٖ كاࣤ ژۅٛي؛
ۏەٖٚي ميٛەٖڭ دېم ءو ءوٛوٕط لوٕࣤن څوٕوڭ كەٖٚڽ؛
موٕي ثەِو چيم ۏېٚ ذوٰٕي نوٛي سەٖ سەٖڽ
تىٖٚڭ دوٚەٖن لوٖٛڥ ڽيٰڥ ڽەٖٚڭ ۏەٖٚ لۀٕڭ لەِٰ.
خۅڭ جەٖن سەٖٛم تىٖࣤوٖڭ شەٕٛڥ تەٕن ثەٕٚڽ لېٔ.

Transliteration

Bữa nay lạnh mặt trời đi ngủ sớm,
Anh nhớ em, em hỡi! Anh nhớ em.
Không gì buồn bằng những buổi chiều êm,
Mà ánh sáng đều hòa cùng bóng tối.
Gió lướt thướt kéo mình qua cỏ rối;
Vài miếng đêm u uất lẩn trong cành;
Mây theo chim về dãy núi xa xanh
Từng đoàn lớp nhịp nhàng và lặng lẽ.
Không gian xám tưởng sắp tan thành lệ.
by Xuân Diệu's Tương Tư Chiều

Constructed scripts by Nima Farid

Aymara Syllabics (ᐊᐃᒪᖞᓇ ᐊᖝ ᕋᕤ ᕆᕪᕋ), Quechua Syllabics (ᕆᐠᒡᕙ ᓯᕆᐤ ᕤᒻᐸ), Vietnamese Arabic Script (چىٰٖ جاوي تيٛەٖڭ ۏیٔەٖط)

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