Kasra (كَسْرَة) in Arabic

Short "i" vowel placed below the letter.

Last updated: May 2026

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بِ

Kasra — kasra

Short "i" — like the "i" in English "sit" or "pin".

Position: below
Family: harakat
Unicode: U+0650
Keyboard: Shift + A

What does Kasra mean?

Kasra is the short "i" vowel of Arabic. Unlike fatha and damma, it sits below the letter, not above it. It is one of the three core short vowels (fatha, kasra, damma) every Arabic learner masters first.

Kasra commonly marks the genitive case (e.g. on a noun after a preposition) and shows up frequently in patterns like فِعْل ("verb"), كِتَاب ("book"), and بِسْم ("in the name of"). It also indicates a short "i" inside many verb conjugations.

How to type Kasra on Arabic keyboard

Shortcut on Arabic 101: Shift + A

Typing order: type the base letter first, then hold Shift and press the diacritic key. Most Arabic input requires this letter-then-diacritic sequence — typing the diacritic first will produce nothing or a disconnected mark.

Example: to type بِ, press the base letter key, then Shift + A.

Example words with Kasra

بِسْمِ

bismi

"in the name of" (Quranic opening)

كِتَاب

kitāb

"book"

مِنْ

min

"from"

فِعْل

fi'l

"verb" or "action"

Practice typing Kasra

Knowing the shortcut is one thing — building the muscle memory is another. Our diacritics drills weave fatha, kasra, damma, shadda, sukun, and the tanween marks into real words and full sentences.

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Frequently asked questions

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How do I type kasra on the Arabic keyboard?

On the Arabic 101 keyboard layout, hold Shift and press A. Type the base letter first, then add the kasra — for example, type ب, then Shift+A to produce بِ.

Is kasra always at the bottom of the letter?

Yes. Kasra is the only short-vowel mark in Arabic that sits below the letter — both fatha and damma sit above. This makes kasra visually distinct and easy to recognise even in dense text.

What is the relationship between kasra and ya (ي)?

Kasra is the short "i" sound (one beat). Ya (ي) is the long "ī" sound (two beats). When a kasra is followed by ya in the next position, the result is a long "ī" — e.g. كِتَابِي "my book", where the final ي carries the long sound that kasra "primes".