Ta (ت) — Arabic Letter Guide
Identical to English "t" as in "tea" — a clear, soft "t".
Last updated: May 2026 · Letter 3 of 28
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Ta — tāʾ (تَاء)
- Transliteration
- t
- IPA
- t
- Unicode
- U+062A
- Keyboard
- J
- Finger
- right index
- Connects?
- Yes — on both sides
What is the letter Ta?
Ta is the third letter of the Arabic alphabet. It shares its base shape with ba and tha; the two dots above distinguish ta. Ta connects on both sides and is the standard non-emphatic "t" sound.
The four forms of Ta
Arabic letters change shape depending on their position in a word. Ta has four distinct forms:
| Position | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Isolated | ت | Standing alone |
| Initial | تـ | At the start of a word, connecting to the right |
| Medial | ـتـ | In the middle of a word, connecting on both sides |
| Final | ـت | At the end of a word, connecting only on the right |
How to type Ta on Arabic keyboard
Arabic 101 key: press J.
Finger: right index finger.
The key for Ta is mapped via the standard Arabic 101 keyboard layout, which is the default Arabic input source on Windows, macOS (as “Arabic - PC”), and most Linux distributions.
How to pronounce Ta
Tongue touches just behind the upper teeth. This is the "light" t — to be distinguished from emphatic ط (taa), which has the tongue pulled back and the sound darker.
Example words with Ta
Letters often confused with Ta
tha
Tha has three dots above; ta has two.
taa (emphatic)
Taa (ط) is the heavy/emphatic version of t — the tongue is pulled back and the sound is darker.
ta marbuta
Ta marbuta (ة) is a variant of ta that appears only at word ends, often marking feminine nouns.
Build muscle memory for the whole alphabet
Knowing where Ta sits on the keyboard is one thing — being able to touch-type it without thinking is another. Our drills work through every letter in the alphabet with structured progression.
Frequently asked questions
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do I type ta (ت) on the Arabic 101 keyboard?
Press the J key — ta is the home key for your right index finger.
What's the difference between ta (ت) and taa (ط)?
Ta (ت) is the soft, non-emphatic t — same as English "t". Taa (ط) is the emphatic version, made with the tongue further back and a darker quality. They are completely separate letters of the alphabet.
When does ta become ta marbuta (ة)?
Ta marbuta is a word-final-only variant used for grammatical feminine endings (مَدْرَسَة "school", مَكْتَبَة "library"). It is read as "h" or as "t" depending on context (when followed by a case-vowel suffix it is read as t). See the ta-marbuta page for more.
Related Arabic letters
Or see the full Arabic 101 keyboard layout.