Special sign #1

• Name

  • In Perso-Arabic script:
    
  • In Devanagari script:
    
  • In Roman transliteration:
    
  • English approximation: jazm
  • In Itrans: jazm
  • In ArabTeX: jazm

• Shape

  A superscript mark, a bit like the French "accent circonflex".

• Example

• Notes

  • Jazm is placed over a letter to show that it is quiescent (there is no short vowel marker on that letter) or has no vowel following it.
  • Its use is corresponding to the use of halfletters in Hindi.

Special sign #2

• Name

  • In Perso-Arabic script:
    
  • In Devanagari script:
    
  • In Roman transliteration:
    
  • English approximation: izafat
  • In Itrans: izaafat
  • In ArabTeX: i.dAfaT

• Shape

  Same shape as zer

• Example

• Note

  • Izafat is a special way to indicate in Urdu the equivalent of the English preposition "of". It is pronounced as a "long" e, not as "short" i as "normal zer" could suggest.

Special sign #3

• Name

  • In Perso-Arabic script:
    
  • In Devanagari script:
    
  • In Roman transliteration:
    
  • English approximation: tashdeed
  • In Itrans: tashdiid
  • In ArabTeX: ta^sdId

• Shape

  Looks a bit like a "w".

• Example

• Notes

  • Tashdeed doubles a consonant. It is placed above the consonant to be doubled; the letter itself is not doubled but only pronounced twice.
  • Tashdeed is not used in verbs, double consonants are written fully in verbs, as shown in the following example:
    
    One sometimes comes across tashdeed in verbs like rakkhnaa or likkhnaa -tashdeed above k- for which the stem does not end in "n", this is strictly speaking not correct but occurs nevertheless.
  • Tashdeed is produced in ArabTeX by coding the consonant twice, it can be disabled by inserting "|" between the double consonants.
  • Tashdeed is said to be an abbreviated form of initial seen/sheen.

Special sign #4

• Name

  • In Perso-Arabic script:
    
  • In Devanagari script:
    
  • In Roman transliteration:
    
  • English approximation: alif maQsoora
  • In Itrans: alif maq(a)suuraa
  • In ArabTeX: alif maq.sUraH

• Shape

  Small alif written on a final small yai

• Example

• Notes

  • Alif maQsoora is written in certain Arabic loanwords to produce a final "long" a.
  • Alif maQsoora is coded in ArabTeX as "_A", ArabTeX however does not produce the small alif above the final yai.

Special sign #5

• Name

  • In Perso-Arabic script:
    
  • In Devanagari script:
    
  • In Roman transliteration:
    
  • English approximation: standing zabar
  • In Itrans: kha.Daa zabar
  • In ArabTeX: kha,rA zabarT

• Shape

  A small alif written perpendical above a consonant.

• Example

• Notes

  • Standing zabar is written in certain Arabic loanwords to produce a "long" a.
  • Standing zabar is also called the "dagger alif".

Special sign #6

• Name

  • In Perso-Arabic script:
    
  • In Devanagari script:
    
  • In Roman transliteration:
    
  • English approximation: ta marboota
  • In Itrans: taa marbuutaa
  • In ArabTeX: tA marbU.taH

• Shape

  Small hay shape with two dots over it.

• Example

• Notes

  • ta marboota is written in certain Arabic loanwords.
  • In many Arabic loanwords which had originally this suffix, ta marboota has been replaced by either small hay or else by tay.
  • The waw in the example word is a so called "silent waw".