Kasra in Arabic: One Dash Below, One Short “i”
Hear it on every letter, avoid the “e” mistake, and read your first words.
Start the lesson
You’ve met fatha on top — بَ (ba). Now move the dash under the letter: بِ. It says “bi” — not “be”.
Same dash, moved under the letter: that’s the kasra, the second of the three Arabic harakat. In this kasra Arabic lesson you’ll hear it on all 28 letters, learn the one mistake most English speakers make, read your first real words, and test yourself with quick games and free printables. No Arabic background is needed: if you can read fatha, you can read this. Tap the play buttons as you go — right now, your ear is your best teacher. Every section has something to tap or try.
What Is Kasra in Arabic?
The kasra (ــِ) is a small slanted dash written below a letter. If a letter has dots below, the dash goes under the dots: بِ, يِ. A dot inside the letter, as in جِ, changes nothing.
It’s a vowel mark, not a letter. The letter gives you the consonant; the dash adds a short “i” after it.
The name كَسْرَة (kasra) means “a break”, from كَسَرَ (kasara), “to break”. Traditional teachers link it to the jaw dropping as you say it — and the mark sits down below.
At the start of a word, it sits under a hamza on an alif: إِ (ʾi). Two of them together (ــٍ) are a different mark, covered in Tanween in Arabic.
What Does the Kasra Sound Like?
The kasra sound is a short “i”, like the i in “sit”. Say the letter’s sound, then add that quick “i”. Tap each syllable and listen:
Notice how quick it is. The vowel follows the consonant straight away, in one smooth beat, with no gap between them.
Two sounds to avoid
- Not “e”. Keep your lips spread a little and your tongue high. “be” is wrong; “bi” is right.
- Not “ee” (“bee”). The kasra short vowel lasts one beat. Hold it longer and you get a different sound — one of the Arabic long vowels.
If it sounds like “be”, your kasra has fallen. Lift it back to “bi”.
Kasra on Heavy Letters and ر
The heavy letters — خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق — keep their deep, full start. But the vowel must still be a clear “i”: صِ is ṣi, not “ṣe”. Don’t lighten the letter to make the vowel easier — keep both: a full start, then a clean, short “i”.
And ر changes. رَ (ra) is heavy, but رِ (ri) is light: with kasra, ر is always light in Hafs. It’s a small difference, but you can hear it in one tap:
Light vs heavy start
Heavy رَ vs light رِ
For the full picture, see heavy letters in Arabic.
Arabic Alphabet With Kasra: All 28 Letters
Here is the Arabic alphabet with kasra: 28 letters, one short “i” each. Read down the list out loud, then tap any syllable to check your sound. Go slowly — one clean “i” on every letter beats a fast row full of “e”s. Watch the gold rows: heavy letters are where the “i” slips most often.
Reading Arabic Letters With Kasra
Read each line out loud first. Say every syllable as one short beat, with no pause inside it. Then use the activity below to check yourself.
- Level 1 — one syllable: بِ · سِ · لِ · نِ
- Level 2 — two syllables: بِ تِ · مِ نِ · سِ لِ · دِ كِ
- Level 3 — real words. Now that you know both marks, you can read three-letter words that use them. All six follow the same beat: a – i – a. Read the word split first, then joined. Take your time on each syllable before you join them.
Split فَ | هِ | مَ fa-hi-ma
Joined فَهِمَ fahima · “he understood”
In a word, letters join and change shape a little. If one looks new, see Arabic letters beginning, middle & end.
Kasra vs Fatha and Damma
Fatha: dash above
Kasra: dash below
Damma: curl above
Fatha and kasra are the same dash — the only difference is whether it sits above or below. Up means “a”, down means “i”, so when you read fast, check where the dash sits before you say the vowel. Tap all three above and hear how only the vowel changes. See all three side by side in Arabic harakat, or go on to the next lesson: dammah.
Hear Kasra in the Quran
Now hear it in the Mushaf. Read each ayah, play the clip, and listen for the word under “Look for”.
Each of these words sits in the middle of its ayah — and that matters. At the end of an ayah the reciter stops, so the last vowel isn’t heard.
Look and listen
An-Nas 114:2
مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ
maliki n-nās — “the Master of humankind,”
Look for: مَلِكِ (maliki): kasra under ل and under ك — ma-li-ki
Recitation: Sheikh Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary (murattal), riwayah Hafs ʿan ʿĀṣim. Audio via EveryAyah.
Al-ʿAlaq 96:1
ٱقۡرَأۡ بِٱسۡمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ
iqraʾ bismi rabbika lladhī khalaq — “Read in the Name of your Lord Who created—”
Look for: بِٱسۡمِ (bismi): kasra under ب and under م — bis-mi
Hearing the right “i” in Al-Husary’s recitation is easy. Making yours match — every time — is what a teacher listens for.
Book Your Free Trial LessonAdults: see how our teachers help you learn Quran reading for adults, one step at a time.
Interactive Kasrah Games
Now train your ear. In this listening game you tap play, hear a word, and pick it from three choices. Every word comes from the reading section, so you already know them. Pick the wrong one and the game shows you which letter was different. Play it twice — the second round is always easier.
Arabic Kasra Activities for Kids
For parents: this vowel is easy to teach when it feels like a game. A few ideas that work well:
- Say “dash goes down, chin goes down.” Point down for kasra and up for fatha.
- Practise one row of the chart a day, in big print.
- Play “Find every kasra” together, and let your child hunt for the dashes below.
- Praise a clear “i”. If you hear “e”, say “bi” together and try again.
- Stop while it’s still fun.
Try it with your child
Read these aloud together, then tap to check.
Want a teacher to guide your child? See our classes in Quran reading for beginners.
Free Kasra Worksheet PDF
Prefer paper? Both printables are free, direct downloads — no email needed.
Arabic Alphabet With Kasra Chart
All 28 letters with kasra on one page. Heavy letters in gold, ر marked “light”.
Download the chart (PDF)Kasra Worksheet PDF for Kids
Circle, match and read — 4 pages of kasra practice: spot the dash, tell dots from vowels, match syllables to sounds, and read the 6 words. Answer key on the last page.
Download the worksheet (PDF)Common Kasra Mistakes Beginners Make
Most of these come from English habits, so they’re easy to fix once you can hear them.
Mistake: saying “be” — the vowel falls to “e”.
Fix: a clear short “i”: bi.
Mistake: saying “bee” — stretching it.
Fix: one beat. The long one is a different sound.
Mistake: taking a letter’s dots for a kasra, or missing the kasra under them.
Fix: dots are part of the letter; the dash is the vowel.
Mistake: saying “ṣe” on heavy letters.
Fix: keep the heavy start, keep the “i”: ṣi.
Mistake: reading two kasras (ــٍ) as one.
Fix: that’s tanween — a different mark.
What to Learn After Kasra
You now know two of the three short vowels. Here’s where to go from here:
Learn more
- Why some letters sound fuller: heavy letters in Arabic
- Want a free guided start? learn Arabic reading free
Kasra FAQ
What is kasra in Arabic?
Kasra (كَسْرَة) is a small slanted line written below an Arabic letter. It is a vowel mark, not a letter: it tells you to add a short “i” sound after the letter, so ب (b) with kasra, بِ, is read “bi”.
What sound does kasra make?
Kasra makes a short “i” sound, like the i in “sit”: بِ (bi), تِ (ti), مِ (mi). It should never sound like “e” (be), and it should not be stretched into “ee” (bee).
Where is kasra placed on an Arabic letter?
Always below the letter. If the letter has dots underneath, like ب or ي, the kasra goes under the dots. At the start of a word, the kasra sits under a hamza on an alif: إِ (ʾi).
Is kasra a short vowel?
Yes. Kasra is one of the three Arabic short vowels, together with fatha and damma. It lasts one beat. When a kasra is followed by the letter yāʾ (ي), the sound is held for two beats and becomes a long vowel.
More: Arabic long vowels
Does kasra sound different on heavy letters?
Heavy letters such as ص and ط keep their deep, full start with kasra, but the vowel is still a clear “i”, never “e”. The letter ر is different: with kasra it is always light, so رِ sounds thinner than رَ.
How do you read Arabic letters with kasra?
Say the letter’s sound, then a short “i”: ب + kasra = bi, س + kasra = si. Once you know fatha too, you can read words like فَهِمَ (fahima, “he understood”) one syllable at a time: fa-hi-ma.
How can kids practise kasra?
Point down when you say kasra and up for fatha, read one short row of letters a day in big print, and let the child listen for the wrong “e” in a game. Short daily practice works better than one long session.
What does the word “kasra” mean?
Kasra comes from the Arabic verb كَسَرَ (kasara), “to break”. Traditional teachers link the name to the lower jaw dropping as you say it — and the mark itself sits down below the letter.
You can now read every letter with kasra.
Only one short vowel is left now — damma. And a teacher can make sure your “i” never slips into “e”, starting from your very first lesson — before the habit spreads to every word.
Book Your Free Trial LessonArabic Language Graduate · Hafidha of the Quran · Writer on Arabic Reading
Jehad Mahmoud is a graduate of the Arabic Language department and a Hafidha of the Quran who writes the Arabic and Quran-reading guides at Quran Book Academy.
She writes for English-speaking learners and parents starting from zero: the letters by sound, the vowel marks, and the step-by-step order that leads to reading the Quran directly from the Mushaf.
Her Arabic Language studies and her memorisation of the Quran are the foundation of this reading series.
These guides teach the reading system step by step. Pronunciation is a skill of the ear and the mouth, so it is best checked by a qualified teacher who can hear you read.
References
- Quran 114:2 (An-Nas) — quran.com/114/2
- Quran 96:1 (Al-ʿAlaq) — quran.com/96/1
- Recitation: Sheikh Mahmoud Khalil Al-Husary (murattal, Hafs ʿan ʿĀṣim), audio from EveryAyah.com.
- Translations: The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab, via quran.com (bracketed clarifications omitted).
- Letter and word audio: recorded in-house by Quran Book Academy.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Arabic alphabet” — britannica.com