How to Type Arabic Diacritics (Harakat / Tashkeel) — The Complete Keyboard Guide

Arabic diacritics — called harakat (حركات) or tashkeel (تشكيل) — are the small vowel marks placed above and below Arabic letters to indicate short vowels and other phonetic features. While most modern Arabic text omits them completely to save space, they are absolutely essential in Quranic text, children's educational material, formal poetry, and any context where pronunciation must be unambiguous.

For typists, diacritics present a unique challenge: they are invisible on most keyboard keycaps, accessed through obscure Shift-key combinations, and require inserting marks both above and below the same letter — which demands understanding of keyboard winding techniques. This guide maps every single diacritic to its precise keyboard shortcut and explains when and how to use each one correctly.

The Complete Harakat Keyboard Shortcut Reference

Understanding Each Diacritic In Depth

Typing Diacritics Above and Below the Same Letter

One common challenge is combining multiple diacritics on a single letter — for example, a Shadda with a Fatha above it (ـَّ), or a Sukun after a Kasra. The trick is to type the base letter first , then type the diacritics in order from primary to modifier:

1. Type the Arabic letter (e.g., ن)
2. Type the Shadda if needed ( Shift + ~ )
3. Type the vowel mark that goes with the Shadda (e.g., Fatha Shift + Q )

This Quranic verse demonstrates nearly every diacritic in sequence: Kasra (إِ), Shadda+Fatha (نَّ), Kasra (بِ), Damma (كُ), Shadda+Kasra (لِّ), Tanwin Kasra (ءٍ), and Tanwin Damm (يمٌ). Practicing this single verse will build fluency with the entire diacritical system.

When Do You Need to Type Harakat?

• Quranic text: Full tashkeel is mandatory. Every letter in the Quran carries a diacritic mark — omitting them would make proper tajweed recitation impossible.
• Children's educational content: Textbooks for young learners use full vowelization to help children read correctly before they internalize morphological patterns.
• Arabic poetry (شعر): Classical and modern poetry is typically written with full tashkeel to preserve meter, rhyme and correct scansion.
• Dictionary entries: Arabic dictionaries mark headwords with full vowelization so readers know the correct pronunciation.
• Disambiguation: Some words are spelled identically but differ only in vowelization. Example: كَتَبَ (he wrote) vs. كُتُبٌ (books) — both use the same consonant skeleton ك ت ب.

Practice Exercises: Building Diacritic Muscle Memory

The best way to internalize diacritical shortcuts is to practice typing short, fully voweled sentences. Start with these classical expressions that cover multiple diacritics:

Each of these short sentences employs a wide variety of diacritics in natural positions. Aim to type each sentence from memory with full vowelization. Use ArabicLab's practice mode and manually add harakat to standard text as a daily exercise.