There are thirty-two letters in the Persian alphabet, as well as three diacritics used for short vowels, which are not written in the majority of Persian writings, making the thirty-two letters consonants. The more complicated features of the Persian script (e.g: tanvin and its usage) are covered in Lesson 2. By the end of both lessons, you should be very well-versed in reading and writing Persian, assuming you comprehend all aspects of the lesson and seek to apply it.

The Persian alphabet may be classified into three separate categories based on their usage, functionality and service. 

• The first being regular consonants which simply represent one sound in particular. 

• The second being repeated consonants, which have more than one letter representing the exact same sound, which can result in writing being particularly tricky for those seeking to learn how to write Persian.

• The third are simply short vowels, which are almost never seen in writing, forcing the reader to evaluate where which vowel is located, if there are any to begin with. When reading and writing Persian, it is important to note that Persian has an abjad writing system. An abjad writing system omits the short vowels in words, and as such the reader is to make an educated guess on what the vowels are, if any. Take for instance the Persian word sabr (صبر), meaning patience. The short vowel /æ/ is obviously present, but is omitted in writing. Thus, readers must infer vowels from the context derived from said words. 

While all of these technicalities may seem difficult to maneuver through at first, it is important to note that these issues become less problematic when you become more familiar with the Persian language, as is the case with learning any language.

Regular Consonants

Repeated Consonants

Short Vowels