Quick Answer
Type Arabic online at KeyLingo with the free Arabic 101 virtual keyboard — click script keys or type with QWERTY mapping hints. Switch to English → Arabic transliteration (salam → سلام, Franco-Arabic) as a second tab. All typing happens locally in your browser.
How to Type in Arabic Online
KeyLingo opens with an Arabic 101 virtual keyboard — click Arabic script keys on screen or type with your physical keyboard (QWERTY hints show the mapping). For phonetic typing, switch to the English → Arabic tab: type words as they sound (salam, mar7aba, shukran) and press space. Franco-Arabic uses numbers for unique sounds: 3=ع, 7=ح, 9=ص. The Unicode editor lets you paste and edit existing Arabic text. All modes output standard Unicode Arabic.
Franco-Arabic (Arabizi) Typing Guide
Franco-Arabic lets you type Arabic without an Arabic keyboard. Type phonetically in Latin letters — salam becomes سلام, mar7aba becomes مرحبا. Numbers replace sounds not found in English: 2=ء, 3=ع, 5=خ, 7=ح, 8=ق, 9=ص. Digraphs work too: sh=ش, kh=خ, gh=غ. Press space after each word to commit conversion. English words that are not Arabizi pass through unchanged.
| Number | Letter | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | ء | hamza (glottal stop) |
| 3 | ع | ayn |
| 5 | خ | kha |
| 7 | ح | ha (emphatic h) |
| 8 | ق | qaf |
| 9 | ص | sad |
Arabic Unicode Guide
KeyLingo outputs Unicode Arabic (UTF-8), supported by every modern device. No special fonts required — copy and paste anywhere. Arabic uses the Unicode Arabic block (U+0600–U+06FF) and renders with Noto Sans Arabic, Arial, or system fonts.
Arabic Letter Forms Guide
Arabic letters change shape depending on position: isolated, initial (connected to the right), medial (connected on both sides), and final (connected to the left). Only six letters (ا د ذ ر ز و) do not connect to the following letter. KeyLingo's Character Explorer shows common form examples.
Arabic Diacritics (Tashkeel) Guide
Tashkeel are vowel marks: Fatha (َ short a), Kasra (ِ short i), Damma (ُ short u), Sukun (ْ no vowel), Shadda (ّ double consonant), and Tanween (ً ٍ ٌ). Modern Arabic text often omits short vowels; they appear in Quranic text, children's books, and language learning materials.
Arabic Punctuation Guide
Arabic uses its own punctuation: comma (،), semicolon (؛), and question mark (؟). Guillemets « » are used for quotation marks. KeyLingo maps ? to ؟ and , to ، automatically in transliteration mode.
Type Arabic for WhatsApp & Social Media
Type in transliteration mode, tap Copy, and paste into WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, or Facebook. Unicode Arabic renders natively on all modern phones. Mixed Arabic-English messages work naturally.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I type Arabic on an English keyboard?
- Select English to Arabic mode and type phonetically — type salam and press space to get سلام. Franco-Arabic numbers work too: mar7aba → مرحبا.
- Is this Arabic keyboard free?
- Yes. KeyLingo's Arabic Writing Workspace is completely free with no registration.
- Does KeyLingo store my Arabic text?
- No. All typing happens locally in your browser. Drafts save only in local storage.
- What is Franco-Arabic / Arabizi?
- Franco-Arabic (Arabizi) writes Arabic sounds using Latin letters and numbers (3=ع, 7=ح). It is widely used in texting and social media across the Arab world.
- Can I use this Arabic text in WhatsApp?
- Yes. Copy and paste Unicode Arabic into WhatsApp, Telegram, or any messaging app.
- What keyboard layout does KeyLingo use?
- The virtual keyboard uses the standard Arabic 101 layout used on Windows and macOS.
- Does transliteration work offline?
- Yes. KeyLingo's Franco-Arabic engine runs entirely in your browser — no API calls or server typing.
- What are Arabic letter forms?
- Each Arabic letter has up to four shapes: isolated, initial, medial, and final, depending on its position in a word.
- What is tashkeel?
- Tashkeel are diacritical marks (harakat) that indicate vowels and pronunciation. KeyLingo includes a tashkeel insert panel.
- RTL typing — does it work on mobile?
- Yes. The editor uses dir=rtl with unicode-bidi for proper right-to-left rendering on mobile and desktop.