# Arabic Keyboard Animation

By Musti Amran

Topic: Computing, AI & Electronics

[Open the interactive Jig](https://ask.jig.com/j/5KsNbK3NxWIO)

## Guide

### 1. The Arabic keyboard

This is the Arabic keyboard from arabickeyboard\.ai, built as a real desk keyboard\. The keys sit exactly where English keys sit\. Each one also wears an Arabic letter\.

### 2. Same keys, new letters

Every key has two labels: a small Latin letter and a bigger Arabic one\. F types ب \(ba\) and J types ت \(ta\)\. The Arabic letters are not in alphabet order; their places come from typewriter days\.

Arabic typewriters were patented in 1899, long before computers\.

### 3. Typing from right to left

Arabic is written from right to left\. Watch the keys type مرحبا \(marhaban, which means hello\)\. Each new letter appears to the left of the last one, and the cursor keeps moving left\.

### 4. One key, many shapes

Arabic letters join together like handwriting\. So a letter can have up to four shapes: alone, at the start, in the middle or at the end of a word\. There is still only one ب key, and the computer picks the right shape\.

### 5. Dots tell letters apart

Arabic has 28 letters but only about 18 basic shapes\. Many letters share a shape and differ only in their dots\. ب has one dot below, ت has two dots above and ث has three\.

### 6. Two letters, one key

When lam \(ل\) meets alif \(ا\), they always melt into one special shape: لا \(la, which means no\)\. It is so common that it has its own key, B\. One press types two letters\.

### 7. Shift adds vowel marks

Short vowels are usually not written as letters\. Instead, small marks called harakat can sit above or below a letter\. Hold Shift and press Q, E or A to add an a, u or i sound\.

### 8. Your turn

Tap any letter key\. It springs down and its Arabic letter appears on the screen\. Try ب on F, ت on J and لا on B\. Drag anywhere else to turn the keyboard\.