Fast keyboard

How to type Arabic with English letters

Type slam: s → س, l → ل, a → ا, m → م. The letters immediately form سلام.

Learn the local letter mapping, correct related letter forms, and keep the result as text or a download.

Latin lettersslam
Arabic textسلام
These text examples come from the keyboard. Arabic remains selectable text; this comparison is not an editor screenshot.
VIDEO TUTORIAL Écrire avec votre clavier Passez des lettres latines aux lettres arabes, choisissez une variante et enregistrez votre texte en Word. French narration Captions: Français Watch video

Écrire avec votre clavier

Choose Fast keyboard

Open Fast Arabic keyboard and select the Fast keyboard tab if it is not already active. Click inside the editor before typing. The virtual keyboard displays English keycaps because this method starts with English input.

Type on a physical keyboard or click the English keys. Both use the same local rules. A fresh visitor starts in Fast; a returning browser may remember a different method.

Type a short word

Type slam: s → س, l → ل, a → ا, m → م. The letters immediately form سلام.

These are letter mappings, not an English translation. An English spelling may need adjustment to produce the Arabic you intend. Short vowels are not guessed, and case can matter: s and uppercase S select different letters.

Latin lettersslamسلام

Choose another letter form

Type a in a clear part of the draft and look at the alternatives beside the caret. Click a related form, or use Down and Enter. A displayed Alt+number shortcut also selects a candidate.

For a repeatable shortcut, type a followed by an apostrophe. The suffix changes the preceding alif into alif with hamza above. It affects that letter rather than the rest of the sentence.

When revisiting text with arrow keys, supported letters can show alternatives again. Left and right still move the caret. Press Down to enter those choices, then use Up or Down and Enter. Escape closes the popup.

Fast shortcuta'أ

Add vowel marks and review

Place the caret after the Arabic letter that needs a vowel mark. Click Fatha, Fathatan, Damma, Dammatan, Shadda, Sukun, Kasra, or Kasratan from the last row. The dotted circle shown on a key is a display aid, not an inserted character.

Use Undo to reverse a mistaken insertion or candidate choice; Redo restores an undone edit. Switching methods keeps the draft, so you can finish a difficult part with direct Arabic keys.

Copy or save the Arabic

Open Text style to change the whole draft. The starting appearance is Noto Kufi Arabic at 22 px. Font, size, color, emphasis, and overall direction also apply to Word and image downloads.

Copy keeps the words available for pasting as text. Save Word (.docx) creates an editable document. Save image (.png) creates a white-background image whose words are no longer editable as text in that image. Large image exports may need to be shortened.

Fast conversion and these downloads run in your browser. A saved browser draft is convenient, but copy or download important work before changing devices or clearing browser data.

Useful choices

Choose Fast for letter control

Use it when English sound shortcuts feel natural and you want to choose individual Arabic forms.

Choose Smart for complete words

Choose Smart when a completed transliterated word should return possible Arabic spellings. That lookup needs the word service.

Try it yourself

Write سلام

Type slam: s → س, l → ل, a → ا, m → م. The letters immediately form سلام.

Compare with the exampleسلام

Review سلام. If a letter needs correction, select it and click the intended Arabic key.

Questions about this method

Does Fast need the Smart suggestion service?

No. Fast letter conversion and related-letter choices run locally. Loading the website still needs a connection unless it is already available in the browser.

Does typing sh automatically give shin?

Do not assume that every English two-letter spelling is a special rule. For shin, use the sin alternative or type s followed by an apostrophe.

Why does the same key differ in Simple keyboard?

Fast interprets English input through letter rules. Simple inserts the Arabic character at the matching physical position. Check the selected method and its keycaps.

Put it into practice

Open the keyboard and try the example with your own text.

Open keyboardLearn how this method works

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