Arabic Keyboard with Harakat (Tashkeel)
Type Arabic with full harakat (Tashkeel) — Fatha, Damma, Kasra, Shadda, Sukun and Tanween — directly in your browser. Click the on-screen letters, use your own keys, or write phonetically, then add the diacritics in one tap. Free, fast, and private, with no download.
Last updated: June 2026
Quick answer: To type Arabic with harakat, type the letter first, then tap the mark (Fatha َ, Damma ُ, Kasra ِ, Sukun ْ, Shadda ّ or a Tanween) in the yellow diacritics row of the keyboard above. The mark attaches to the letter you just typed; tap Copy to paste the vocalised text anywhere.
What Are Harakat & Tashkeel?
Harakat (حركات) are the small diacritic marks written above or below Arabic letters to show short vowels. Standard Arabic is usually written without them — fluent readers infer the vowels — but they are essential for learners, children’s books, names, and religious texts like the Quran where exact pronunciation matters.
Harakat vs tashkeel — the difference
Harakat strictly means the three short-vowel marks: Fatha (a), Damma (u) and Kasra (i). Tashkeel (تشكيل) is the whole system of marks — harakat plus Sukun, Shadda, the three Tanween, Madda and the dagger alif. In everyday use the two words are often used interchangeably.
3 Ways to Add Harakat With This Keyboard
This Arabic keyboard with harakat lets you place every mark in one tap. Pick whichever input you prefer:
- Click method: click the letter on the on-screen keyboard, then tap the mark in the yellow diacritics row.
- Physical keyboard: press the letter key, then hold Shift and the mapped key — Fatha = Shift+Q, Damma = Shift+E, Kasra = Shift+A (full list below).
- Type by sound: switch to Transliteration and write phonetically (salam → سلام), then add the marks from the diacritics row.
Build fully vocalised words by alternating letter and mark — type ك then Fatha, ت then Fatha, ب then Damma to write كَتَبُ. When you’re done, Copy it anywhere or tap Listen to hear it read aloud. Nothing is sent to a server.
The Full Arabic Tashkeel Reference Table
Every mark on the keyboard, what it sounds like, how to type it, and an example on the letter ب (b):
| Mark | Name | Sound | Shift key | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| َ | Fatha (فتحة) | short “a” | Shift + Q | بَ = ba |
| ُ | Damma (ضمة) | short “u” | Shift + E | بُ = bu |
| ِ | Kasra (كسرة) | short “i” | Shift + A | بِ = bi |
| ْ | Sukun (سكون) | no vowel | Shift + X | بْ = b |
| ّ | Shadda (شدة) | doubled consonant | Shift + ` | بّ = bb |
| ً | Tanween Fath | “an” | Shift + W | بً = ban |
| ٌ | Tanween Damm | “un” | Shift + R | بٌ = bun |
| ٍ | Tanween Kasr | “in” | Shift + S | بٍ = bin |
| ٰ | Dagger Alif | long “aa” | — | هٰذا = haadha |
| ٓ | Madda | long “aa” on alif | — | آن = aan |
The three Tanween marks (double vowels) add an “-n” sound and usually sit on the final letter of an indefinite noun. Madda appears on alif (آ) for a long “aa”, and the dagger alif stands in for a missing long alif in words like هٰذا and اللّٰه.
Shadda + a Vowel (the part most guides skip)
Shadda doubles a consonant and is almost always combined with a vowel. The order matters — type the letter, then the shadda, then the vowel:
- د + shadda + Fatha → دَّ (“dda”) — as in مُدَّة (mudda, “a period”).
- ر + shadda + Kasra → رِّ — as in مُدَرِّس (mudarris, “teacher”).
- With Tanween: ب + shadda + Tanween Fath → بًّ.
On this keyboard, just tap them in that sequence and both marks stack correctly on the same letter.
One Word, Three Meanings — Why Harakat Matter
The same three consonants ك ت ب become different words depending only on the harakat:
| Vocalised | Reads as | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| كَتَبَ | kataba | he wrote |
| كُتِبَ | kutiba | it was written |
| كِتاب | kitāb | a book |
Without the marks all three are written كتب — context tells a fluent reader which is meant, but harakat make it unambiguous. That’s exactly why learners and sacred texts use them.
When Do You Actually Need Harakat?
- Learning Arabic: full vocalisation shows you exactly how to pronounce each word while you build vocabulary.
- Quran & religious text: precise harakat are required for correct recitation (tajweed).
- Names & unfamiliar words: marks remove doubt when a reader can’t guess the vowels.
- Dictionaries & children’s books: where exact reading must be taught.
For everyday messages you usually don’t need them — but when you do, this keyboard makes them quick.
How to Type Harakat on Windows, Mac, iPhone & Android
- Windows & Mac: on the Arabic 101 / Arabic-PC layout, type the letter then hold Shift and the mapped key (Fatha = Shift+Q, Kasra = Shift+A, Damma = Shift+E). Full steps: Arabic keyboard for Windows and Arabic keyboard on Mac.
- iPhone: press and hold the tashkeel key just right of the spacebar and slide to the mark — see Arabic keyboard on iPhone.
- Android (Gboard): long-press a letter to reveal its diacritics, or switch to the Arabic layout’s symbols row.
- Any device, no setup: use the keyboard at the top of this page and tap the marks directly.
Automatic vs Manual Tashkeel
Some tools add diacritics to a whole sentence automatically (AI diacritization). They’re useful for a quick first pass, but they guess — and they often misplace marks on proper nouns, foreign words, or sentences that are genuinely ambiguous. For the Quran, names, or anything you’ll publish, place the harakat yourself so they’re exactly right. This keyboard is built for that precise, manual control.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I type Arabic with harakat?
Type the letter first, then tap the harakat (Fatha, Damma, Kasra, Sukun, Shadda, or a Tanween) in the diacritics row. The mark attaches to the letter you just typed.
What’s the difference between harakat and tashkeel?
Harakat are the three short-vowel marks (Fatha, Damma, Kasra). Tashkeel is the whole system, also including Sukun, Shadda, Tanween, Madda and the dagger alif.
What are the keyboard shortcuts for harakat?
On the Arabic 101 layout: Fatha = Shift+Q, Damma = Shift+E, Kasra = Shift+A, Sukun = Shift+X, Shadda = Shift+`, Tanween = Shift+W/R/S.
How do I type a shadda with a vowel?
Type the letter, then the shadda, then the vowel. The shadda doubles the consonant and the vowel stacks with it.
Can I add harakat automatically to a whole sentence?
Automatic tools exist but only guess and can misplace marks on names or ambiguous words. For the Quran or learning, place them yourself.
How do I type harakat on my phone?
On iPhone, hold the tashkeel key right of the spacebar and slide. On Android Gboard, long-press a letter. Or use this keyboard in your mobile browser.
Why do most Arabic texts not show harakat?
Fluent readers infer the vowels from context, so everyday Arabic is written without them; they appear in the Quran, dictionaries and learning material.
Can I copy the vocalised text?
Yes. Tap Copy and paste the fully-marked text into any app. Everything stays in your browser.