Alphabet: how to tell nūn and dhāl apart?

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ushwald
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Alphabet: how to tell nūn and dhāl apart?

Postby ushwald » 2017-09-01, 13:00

I just started learning the arabic alphabet, and it occurs to me that the letters nūn and dhāl look strikingly similar in written form when used in the middle of a word (and, to a lesser extent, also quite similar to zayn). My question is how to tell the two apart, especially in the case of sloppy handwriting. Thanks in advnace!

eskandar
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Re: Alphabet: how to tell nūn and dhāl apart?

Postby eskandar » 2017-09-02, 21:28

When printed, they're different enough that as you get more used to Arabic, you'll be able to tell them apart easily. In sloppy handwriting, context will help you determine which it's supposed to be: for one, you can try reading it both ways and see which one ends up making sense. Once you read enough in the hand of a particular individual, you'll also begin to recognize the idiosyncratic ways they might write these letters. Otherwise, there are no special secrets, anymore than I could tell you how to tell the difference between a lowercase L and an uppercase I in handwritten English.
Please correct my mistakes in any language.

Mter
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Re: Alphabet: how to tell nūn and dhāl apart?

Postby Mter » 2020-06-14, 17:59

The Nun connects to both of the adjacent letters when in middle. Dhal only connects to that which precedes it.


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