When you first start learning Persian (Farsi), the writing system looks like beautiful, flowing art, but figuring out how to read it can seem like a steep challenge.

Here’s the truth, though: the Persian alphabet is actually very easy to learn.

Unlike English, which has complicated spelling rules, Persian is highly phonetic. Once you learn the sounds of the letters, you can sound out almost any word you see.

Instead of trying to memorize all 32 letters at once, the best way to learn is by breaking them down into groups based on their shapes.

Follow this simple 7-day guide, and you’ll be reading Persian words by the end of the week!

Day 1: Understand the basics

Before you memorize any letters, you need to understand how the Persian writing system works.

Here are the three most important rules you need to know:

1. Persian is written from right to left. Unlike English, you start reading on the right side of the page and move toward the left. Books also open from the “back” (compared to English books).

2. There are no capital letters. Persian doesn’t have uppercase or lowercase letters. A letter is the same whether it’s at the beginning of a sentence or a name.

3. Letters connect to each other (like cursive). In English, we usually print letters separately. In Persian, the letters almost always hold hands. Because of this, letters change their shape slightly depending on whether they’re at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

Day 2: The non-connecting letters

To start, we’re going to learn the easiest letters in the alphabet.

Most Persian letters connect to the letter that comes after them. However, there are 7 “non-connecting” or “disconnector” letters.

These letters connect to the right, but they never connect to the left. If a word continues after one of these letters, the next letter just starts fresh.

Here are the 7 non-connecting letters. Notice how many of them look like simple curves or lines!

Note: Persian added four letters to the Arabic alphabet. Zhe (ژ) is one of them!

Day 3: The boat letters

Today, we’re looking at the “boat letters.”

These letters all share the exact same base shape. They look like a little boat sitting on the line.

The only way to tell them apart is by looking at where the dots are and how many dots there are.

Note: Pe (پ) is another letter unique to Persian!

When these letters connect to other letters at the beginning or middle of a word, they lose their left tail and look like a small “tooth” with dots.

Day 4: The belly letters

Next up are the “belly letters.”

Just like the boat letters, these four letters share the exact same shape. They have a flat top and a big swooping belly that dips below the writing line.

Again, you tell them apart by the dots.

When these connect to the next letter, you chop off the big belly. You only write the top part and keep the dots!

Day 5: The tricky look-alikes

Because Persian uses the Arabic script, there are a few letters that make the exact same sound in Persian.

For example, Persian has four different letters that make the “Z” sound, and three different letters that make the “S” sound. This is because Arabic pronounces them differently, but Persian speakers just pronounce them all the same!

Let’s learn these look-alikes.

Day 6: The final letters

You’re almost done! Today we’ll learn the remaining letters.

These are a bit of a mix, but they’re very common in Persian.

Day 7: Vowels and practice

You’ve now seen all 32 letters of the Persian alphabet.

To finish your first week, you need to know how vowels work.

In Persian, long vowels (like “a” in father, “oo” in boot, and “ee” in see) are written out as actual letters. These are Alef (ا), Vav (و), and Ye (ی).

However, short vowels (like the “a” in apple, “e” in elephant, and “o” in orange) are usually not written at all.

Native speakers know which short vowels to use just by recognizing the word. As a beginner, your textbook will probably use tiny little marks above or below the letters to help you know what the short vowels are, but you won’t see these marks in real life!

Let’s look at some real Persian words. Try to sound them out using what you learned!

This is Nun (n) + Alef (aa) + Nun (n). Naan!

This is Alef with a special hat that makes a long “aa” sound + Be (b). Aab!

This is Sin (s) + Lam (l) + Alef (aa) + Mim (m). Salaam!

Summary

The best way to master the Persian alphabet is to practice a little bit every day.

Don’t worry about trying to write perfectly right away. Focus on recognizing the shapes and the dots first. Try writing out the names of your family and friends in Persian letters to reinforce what you’ve learned.

Over time, reading from right to left becomes second nature.