See the lexicon

General Script Characteristics

Line of Writing

undulating

Groups of Characters Baseline

irregular undulations

Character Spacing

irregular spaces between characters

Presence of Elongation

occasional

Elongated Letters

nūn, sīn/shīn, sād/ḍād, yā’, lām and qāf bowl

Shading / Contrast

medium contrast

Ascenders

Alif Ascenders

alif - top right serif

alif - shaft tapers from thick to thin

Lām Ascenders

lām - inclined to left

lām - shaft tapers from thick to thin

Kāf Ascenders

initial medial and final elongated (mabsūṭah) with s-shape body

final vertical shaft

no top arm and superscript kāf

Descenders

wāw descenders

wāw - rounded tail

rā' zā' descenders

rā'/zā' - s-shaped

nūn sīn shīn sādḍād yā’ lām and qāf descenders

nūn, sīn/shīn, sād/ḍād, yā', lām, qāf - elongated curvilinear flattened bowl

deep bowl

jīm ḥāʾ khā' and ‘ain ghayn descenders

backward tail

closing upward

denticles

sīn shīn denticles

rounded base denticles with first denticle extended

initial and medial bāʾ tāʾthāʾ nūn yāʾ denticles

initial nuanced top right hook

medial short rounded denticles

counters

hā' counters

final one-eyed (mardufah) inclined to left

fā' qāf wāw counters

teardrop head

medial 'ain ghayn counters

wide inverted triangle, open eye

mīm counters

circular head

vocalization and diacritics

shadda vocalization and diacritics

ribbon-like

ihmāl vocalization and diacritics

superscript miniature kāf for medial or inital form

Other

additional characteristics

Initial and medial denticles bāʾ, tāʾ, thāʾ connected together resemble the denticle of sīn

Abundant use of hairlines at the end of each stroke