See the lexicon

General Script Characteristics

Shape

rectangular

Internal Structure

linear

piled

Line of Writing

horizontal

broken

Groups of Characters Baseline

oblique

partial stacking of characters

one group of characters underpins the next

Character Spacing

regular spaces between characters

regular spaces between words

Presence of Elongation

frequent

Shading / Contrast

medium contrast

Letter Morphology

Point

round dot

Ascenders

Alif Ascenders

alif - vertical

alif - top right serif

alif - foot with left hook

Lām Ascenders

lām - vertical

lām - top right serif

Kāf Ascenders

rounded body, long top flat arm

ṭā' ẓā' ascenders

diagonal shaft with serif

rounded body

Descenders

wāw descenders

wāw - crescent tail

circular ascending tail

wāw - flattened, tapered tail

rā' zā' descenders

rā'/zā' - long flattened, tapered tail

hooked tail

rā'/zā' - s-shaped

mīm descenders

mīm - s-shape

nūn sīn shīn sādḍād yā’ lām and qāf descenders

shallow bowl

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

jīm ḥāʾ khā' and ‘ain ghayn descenders

backward tail

yā’ al-rāji’ah descenders

final downward spur

horizontals

bāʾ tāʾ thāʾ fāʾ kāf horizontals

elongated open straight bowl on baseline

denticles

sīn shīn denticles

short pointed denticles

rounded base denticles

initial and medial bāʾ tāʾthāʾ nūn yāʾ denticles

initial top right serif

medial short pointed denticles

counters

hā' counters

initial / medial double eyed (wajh al-hirr)

final s-shaped (muḥdawdibah)

fā' qāf wāw counters

rounded pointed head

medial 'ain ghayn counters

wide inverted triangle

mīm counters

rounded head

Other

additional characteristics

Internal ligature for medial and final kāf

Loop ligature of ṣād and ḍād

Punctuation mark used as filler