How to convert Arabizi to Arabic script, and when to use Buckwalter
Arabizi is Arabic written with Latin letters and digits: 3 for ع, 7 for ح, 2 for the hamza. You find it in older chats, comments and notes typed on devices without an Arabic keyboard. If someone sent you a message or a list in Arabizi and you need it in Arabic script for a document, this tool converts it character by character, and you review the result.
It also offers Buckwalter, a scheme in which each Arabic character maps to exactly one Latin symbol. Researchers and developers use it in language corpora and data files, including the Quranic Arabic Corpus. The tool does not understand or translate words; it applies a published table you can open and check.
How to use it
- Choose a Scheme: Arabizi · explicit phonetic mapping for chat text, or Buckwalter core · character encoding for data files and corpora.
- Choose a Direction: To Arabic to turn Latin letters into Arabic, or From Arabic for the reverse.
- For Arabizi, decide what happens to lone vowels in Single a e i o u in Arabizi: Omit, Short vowel marks or Approximate long-vowel letters. This setting does not affect Buckwalter.
- Leave Also map standalone Arabizi digits off if the text contains times or prices. When it is on, a lone 3 becomes ع.
- Keep Protect detected links & email ticked, paste your text into Original text and read the Transliteration preview.
- Open Limits & mapping to see the full table. Copy or download the result, or press Export lines CSV to get every line's source and result side by side.
Worked examples from the tool
salaam 3alaykum kayf 7aalak
سلام عليكم كيف حالك
Settings: Scheme: Arabizi · Direction: To Arabic · Single vowels: Omit
wa9alt el beet 3ala ra2sy
وصلت ل بيت عل رءسي
Settings: Scheme: Arabizi · Direction: To Arabic · Single vowels: Omit
مَدْرَسَةٌ
madorasapN
Settings: Scheme: Buckwalter core · Direction: From Arabic
Which vowel option to pick
- Omit suits most chat messages. Written Arabic usually leaves short vowels out, and long vowels survive because
aabecomes ا whileeeandoobecome ي and و. With this optionsalaam 3alaykumbecomes «سلام عليكم». - Short vowel marks puts a fatha for a, a kasra for i and e, and a damma for u and o. It helps when you want to see where the writer put vowels: «سَلام عَلَيكُم». After checking, you can strip the marks in the Cleaner.
- Approximate long-vowel letters turns every lone vowel into ا, ي or و, so
kayf 7aalakbecomes «كايف حالاك». It rarely suits a whole sentence.
What to fix by hand afterwards
Arabizi has no fixed spelling, and the tool cannot know which word the writer meant. Check the result for these cases:
- The definite article. People write it
eloril, which becomes a bare ل. Add the alef: «ل بيت» should be «البيت». - Alef at the start or end of a word. A lone a is a short vowel in the table, so
3alabecomes «عل» instead of «على», andanabecomes «ن» instead of «أنا». - Hamza seats. The digit 2 always gives ء, so
ra2sycomes out as «رءسي». Choose the seat yourself: «رأسي». - English words. They convert too:
meetingturns into «ميتنج». Split English sentences out before converting. - Different habits. The table uses 5 for خ, 6 for ط, 8 for ق, 9 for ص, and
chfor چ. If the writer useschfor ش, as French-influenced spelling often does, replace it withshfirst. - Punctuation. It stays Latin. Swap the Latin question mark for ؟ by hand or with Replace.
For more on Arabizi conventions and how they vary between countries, read the guide to converting Arabizi to Arabic.
Limits
- This is table-based character conversion, not translation or spell-checking. It never infers unwritten vowels or the correct hamza seat.
- Arabizi varies between countries and writers, so review each line before you use it.
- Every Latin letter converts, English words included. In Buckwalter, for example, Hello becomes «حeللْ».
- Buckwalter is case-sensitive and uses symbols such as
$for ش and>for أ. Any software that changes letter case or strips symbols will corrupt it. - It is not an academic romanization such as ALA-LC, DIN 31635 or ISO 233, so do not use it for library catalogues or names on official documents.
- Each conversion handles up to about 20,000 characters.
Frequently asked questions
What do the digits mean in Arabizi?
In this tool's table: 2 = ء, 3 = ع, 5 = خ, 6 = ط, 7 = ح, 8 = ق, 9 = ص. An apostrophe after the digit adds a dot: 3' = غ, 6' = ظ, 9' = ض. The pairs sh, kh, gh, th and dh also work.
Why did the 3 in “3 PM” stay a digit?
Standalone digits are kept by default so times and prices survive. If the writer uses a lone digit as a letter, tick Also map standalone Arabizi digits.
Can it convert Arabic into Arabizi?
Yes, choose From Arabic. The result is literal: unwritten vowels are not added and alef becomes aa, so «صباح الخير» becomes 9baa7 aal5yr.
What is Buckwalter for?
It gives each Arabic character a single Latin symbol, so Arabic text can be converted back without loss as long as its characters are in the table. That suits corpora and software that handles Arabic script poorly, not general readers.
Can I use it to spell my name for a passport?
No. Official bodies have their own rules for writing names in Latin letters. Use the spelling already on your documents.
Is my text uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs in your browser, and nothing is kept after you reload the page.