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Things to know about Sudanese Arabic

The Sudanese version of Arabic is spoken in the country of Sudan.

If your Sudanese Arabic lessons require you to type Arabic characters, follow the instructions immediately below to do so. If your lessons use transliterated Sudanese Arabic, see the Using Transliterated Sudanese Arabic Lessons section further down.

Using Sudanese Arabic Lessons

Sudanese Arabic is written in a flowing script that runs from right to left, the opposite of English. Most Sudanese Arabic letters connect to the letters preceding and following them, just as in English cursive writing. Therefore, letters often change shape depending on their placement within a word. Sudanese Arabic is usually written using only consonants and long vowels, although there are small marks which can be used above or below letters to indicate short vowels.

To type Sudanese Arabic characters:

  1. Position your cursor somewhere where you can type, and verify that the virtual keyboard layout is set to Sudanese.
  2. Locate the character you want on the virtual keyboard, then click on it or press the corresponding key on your physical keyboard. The virtual keyboard shows the stand-alone form of each letter, but the characters will automatically change form to connect to one another as you type. Most punctuation marks, such as the period, the question mark, and the comma, are available by pressing the Shift key. See Typing special scripts for details.

Using Transliterated Sudanese Arabic Lessons

Some Sudanese Arabic lessons in this application may be transliterated - written with the letters of the Latin alphabet, from left to right. Transliterated lessons can help you master vocabulary and pronunciation before tackling a new writing system.

You do not have to type actual Sudanese Arabic characters in transliterated Sudanese Arabic lessons. You can type the transliterations in any activity or assessment that requires typed answers. Transliterated Sudanese Arabic does not require any special characters.

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