Drag the words into the numbered boxes in the correct order, or click the words one by one. Click a filled box to return a word.
28 letters
Select a letter to explore its shape, joining forms and name. Arabic runs right to left. Six letters do not join to the letter that follows; the detail view shows the difference.
Eastern Arabic numerals
Numbers are written left to right, the opposite direction to the words around them. Prices, phone numbers and dates in Saudi Arabia use these forms alongside Western digits.
Social formulas
Useful greetings, replies and everyday expressions. Explore when you might hear each phrase, then listen and practise. Mark the ones you know or want to revisit.
How to be respected here
Thoughtful starting points for greetings, hospitality and daily life in Saudi Arabia. Follow your host’s lead, ask when unsure, and respect each person’s preferences.
What not to do
Language mix-ups, personal boundaries and current rules to check. A courtesy suggestion is different from a legal requirement; each card makes that distinction.
Prepare for something specific
Prepare for a meeting, a visit or an everyday conversation. Describe the situation for suggested phrases and context. AI suggestions are a starting point; people and settings vary.
Pattern, structure, light
Explore geometry, architecture and craft through twelve short studies. Compare simplified diagrams with real museum objects, then unfold the details that interest you.
The tribes of the Arab world
An introduction to twenty-two tribes, confederations and peoples across the region. These categories are not interchangeable. Explore historical context without assuming someone’s identity from their name or birthplace.
One written language, many spoken ones
Formal Arabic and everyday varieties overlap in speech and writing. Compare the same question across regions, then explore how local words and pronunciation vary.
Where Arabic is spoken
Natural Earth 1:50m reference geography uses de facto boundaries; disputed territories are not resolved by this map. Palestine and Israel have separate profiles. Country shading describes language context, not territorial claims.
Explore profiles by name. Undated population and speaker estimates have been removed from this comparison.
Fourteen centuries, five threads
The prestige art form
Short readings from the long history of Arabic poetry. Explore the Arabic with a plain-language translation and a note on context. Uncertain attributions are marked; translations here are learning interpretations.
Six scripts
Writing is both language and art. Compare six script traditions, a real manuscript page and digital previews. Script names describe traditions with many styles and individual hands.