Writing details · 4 min read
Arabic Punctuation, Question Marks, and Numbers
Arabic uses its own comma, semicolon, and question mark. These marks look different from their Latin counterparts and appear naturally in right-to-left text. Arabic writing also uses more than one familiar digit style, depending on region, audience, and context.
Three punctuation marks to know
The Arabic comma is ،, the semicolon is ؛, and the question mark is ؟. For example: أين لوحة المفاتيح؟ is a question, and مرحباً، كيف حالك؟ uses an Arabic comma before the second phrase. Use the Arabic forms in Arabic sentences when they are available in your keyboard or editor.
A sentence may contain Arabic and English together, such as a product name or web address. In mixed-direction text, punctuation can appear visually unexpected because the browser follows bidirectional text rules. If a mark moves, try placing it directly beside the phrase it belongs to and review the result in the destination app.
Choose a digit style for your audience
Many Arabic texts use Western digits 0–9, while others use Arabic-Indic digits ٠–٩. Both are understood in many settings, but local conventions vary across countries, publishers, and forms. Follow the style used by the document or organization you are writing for.
Dates, phone numbers, prices, and identification numbers may have a prescribed format. Before submitting a form, check its example or instructions rather than changing digits based only on the surrounding Arabic text.
Review punctuation after pasting
Copy a short test sentence into the app where you plan to use it. Messaging apps, word processors, and websites can apply different paragraph direction and punctuation behavior. Set the paragraph direction to right-to-left when the destination offers that setting.
harf’s visible keyboard includes a direct Arabic comma key. Other punctuation can be entered from your device, copied from a reference, or selected in the editor you are using.
Put what you learned into practice.
Open the harf keyboard and try a short phrase. Click the letters or use your physical keyboard.
Open the keyboard