ܵ ܵ ܵ ‫ܗܪ‬

ܼܿ ‫ܕ‬ ܸ
(First Lesson)

ܿ ܿ ̈݁ ܿ ܿ
ܼ ܼ ܼ ܼ
(Introduction to the Alphabet)

ܰ ܰ
(ab-gad) ‫ ܐ‬.‫ܐ‬
We shall begin by introducing the first four letters of the Syriac Alphabet which in
Syriac-Aramaic is called abgad and is also the name giving to the Syriac Alphabet:

Karshouni Arabic Syriac Name of the

Letter
ܰ ܳ
-- (From the Throat) ‫ء‬ ‫ܐ‬ ݂
o-laf
‫أُﻻف‬
b (From the Lips) ‫ب‬ ‫ܒ‬ ݂ ܶ݁
béA
‫ﺑِﺚ‬
g (From the Upper ‫ܓ‬ ܰ ܳ݁
‫چ‬
Palette)
[‘g’ as in goose]
go-mal
‫ﻛُﻤَﺎل‬
d (From the Tongue) ‫د‬ ‫ܕ‬ ݂ ܰ ‫݁ ܳܕ‬
do-laA
‫دُﻟَﺚ‬

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 Exercise: (Re-write the following letters 5 times. The Aramaic language is written right-to-left)

:‫ܕ‬ : : : ‫ ـ ـ ܓ‬: ‫ ـܒ‬: ‫ ـ‬: ‫ܒ‬ :‫ܐ‬

‫܀܀܀‬
ܰ ܰ .‫ܒ‬
(ha-waz) ‫ܗܘܙ‬
The Second Word is hawaz:

Karshouni Arabic Syriac Name of the

Letter
h (From the Upper ‫ه‬ ‫ܗ‬ ‫ܶܗ‬
Throat)
hé
‫ﻫِﺎ‬
w (From the Lips) ‫و‬ ‫ܘ‬ ‫ܰܘܘ‬
waw
‫وَاو‬
z (From the Upper ‫ز‬ ‫ܙ‬ ‫ܰܙ‬
Teeth)
zayn
‫زَﯾﻦ‬

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 Exercise: (Re-write the following letters 5 times. The Aramaic language consists of 22 letters) :

‫ ـܙ‬: ‫ܙ‬ ‫ ـܘ‬: ‫ܘ‬ ‫ ـܗ‬: ‫ܗ‬

‫܀܀܀‬
ܺ ܰ
(Ha-Tee) .‫ܓ‬
The Third Word is HaTee:

Karshouni Arabic Syriac Name of the

Letter
H (From the Bottom of ‫ح‬ ‫ܚ‬ ݂ ܶ
the Throat)
HéA
‫ܶﺣِﺚ‬
T (From the Tongue) ‫ط‬ ‫ܛ‬ ݂
TéA
‫ﻃِﺚ‬
y (From the Upper ‫ي‬ ‫ܝ‬ ‫ܽ ݂ܕ‬
Palette)
yooD
‫ﯾُﻮذ‬

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 Exercise: (Re-write the following letters 5 times) :

‫ ـܝ‬: ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ܝ‬ : : :‫ܛ‬ ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ ـܚ‬: ‫ܚ‬

‫܀܀܀‬
(kal-man) ܰ ܰ .‫ܕ‬
The Fourth Word is kalman:

Karshouni Arabic Syriac Name of the

Letter
k (From the Upper ‫ك‬ ‫ܟ‬ ݂ ܳ݁
Palette)
kof
‫ﻛُﻒ‬
l (From the Tongue) ‫ل‬ ‫ܠ‬ ݂ܰ ܳ
lo-maD
‫ﻟُﻤَﺬ‬
m (From the Lips) ‫ܡ‬ ܺ
‫م‬
meem
‫ﻣِﯿﻢ‬
n (From the Tongue) ‫ن‬ ‫ܢ‬ ‫ܽܢ‬
noon
‫ﻧُﻮن‬

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 Exercise: (Re-write the following letters 5 times) :

‫ ـ‬: : ‫ ــ‬: ‫ܢ‬ ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـܡ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ܡ‬ ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـܠ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ܠ‬ ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـܟ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ܟ‬

‫܀܀܀‬
(saI-paS) ܰ ܰ .‫ܗ‬
The Fifth Word is saIpaS:

Karshouni Arabic Syriac Name of the Letter

ܰ
s (From the Upper Teeth) ‫س‬ ‫ܣ‬ ݂ ݁ ܶ
sém-kaA
‫ﺳﻤﻜَﺎث‬
I (No English Equivalent. ‫ܥ‬ ܰ ‫ܶ ܰܐܘ‬
‫ع‬
From the Bottom of the Throat)
Ié or Iayn
‫ﻋِﺎ او ﻋَﯿْﻦ‬
p (From the Lips) ‫ܦ‬ ܶ݁
‫ف‬
pé
‫ﻓِﺎ‬
S (From the Upper Teeth and ‫ص‬ ‫ܨ‬ ‫݂ܳܶܨܕ‬
Middle of the Throat)
So-Dé
ِ‫ﺻُﻮذ‬

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 Exercise: (Re-write the following letters 5 times) :

‫ ـܨ‬: ‫ܨ‬ ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـܦ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ ـ ܦ‬: ‫ ـܥ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ ـ ܥ‬: ‫ ـܣ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ܣ‬

‫܀܀܀‬
(qar-cat) ܰ ܰ .‫ܘ‬
The Sixth Word is qarcat:

Karshouni Arabic Syriac Name of the

Letter
q (From the Upper ‫ق‬ ‫ܩ‬ ‫ܽ ݂ܦ‬
Palette)
qoof
‫ﻗُﻒ‬
r (From the Lower ‫ر‬ ‫ܪ‬ ‫ܺܪ‬
Teeth)
reec
‫رﯾﺶ‬
c (From the Lower ‫ش‬ ‫ܫ‬ ܺ
Teeth)
[‘sh’ as in shelf] ceen
‫ﺷ ِܰﯿﻦ‬
t (From the Tongue) ‫ت‬ ‫ܬ‬ ‫݁ܬܘ‬
taw
‫ﺗﺎو‬

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 Exercise: (Re-write the following letters 5 times) :

:‫ܬ‬ ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـܫ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ܫ‬ :‫ܪ‬ ‫ ـ‬: ‫ ـܩ‬: ‫ ـ ـ‬: ‫ܩ‬

‫܀܀܀‬
abgad Memorization .‫ܙ‬
The Easiest Way to Memorize the Syriac-Aramaic Alphabet is to Remember
the Six Words (Words do not Have an Actual Meaning in Aramaic):
Exercise: (Re-write the following words 5 times. The letters in Aramaic are also used for numbers) :

(6) ‫ܘ‬ (5 ) ‫ܗ‬ (4) ‫ܕ‬ (3) ‫ܓ‬ (2 ) ‫ܒ‬ (1 ) ‫ܐ‬

ܰ ܰ ܰ ܰ ܰ ܰ ܺ ܰ ܰܰ
‫ܗܘܙ‬ ܰ ‫ܰܐ‬

Using Arabic:
ܰ ܰ ܰ ܰ ܰ ܰ ܺ ܰ ܰܰ
‫ܗܘܙ‬ ܰ ‫ܰܐ‬
ْ‫ﻗَﺮْﺷَﺖ‬ ْ‫ﺳَﻌْﻔَﺺ‬ ْ‫ﻛَﻠْﻤَﻦ‬ ْ ِّ‫ﺣَﻄ‬
‫ﻲ‬ ْ‫ﻫَﻮﱠز‬ ْ‫أَﺑْﺠَﺪ‬

‫܀܀܀‬

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 The Syriac (Aramaic) History
(Part 1)
(This historical material is written by other authors, and this author doesn’t claim authorship of the material
in the section “The Syriac (Aramaic) History”)

3 Million BC – 6000 BC:

• Tools found at al-‘Aqbiyah between Sidon & Tyre; Kafraya and Joubb Jannine in
al-Biqa’; Caves of ‘Adlun between Sidon and Tyre of Antilyas; The River Kalb
and The River Ibrahim between Beirut and Byblos; The River Jauz near Batrun,
and in the region of The River kabir north of Tripoli.
• A 25,000 to 30,000 year old human skeleton of an 8 year old boy found in a rock
shelter at Kasr ‘Aqil above Antilyas six miles north of Beirut.
• Continuous human habitation in Antilyas valley ever since 30,000 years ago.
This also shows that since that time Mediterranean type people (Of which the
Lebanese People Belong To) have inhabited the area.

‫܀܀܀‬
(Names – cmo-hé) ܶ ܳ
English French Arabic Karshouni Syriac
Maro Maron ‫ ﻣﺎرون‬mo-roon ‫ܳ ܽ ܘܢ‬
Abdo Abdo ‫ ﻋﺒﺪه‬Iab-doo ‫ܰ ܽܘ‬
Abigail Abigayil ‫ أﺑﯿﺠﺎﺋﯿﻞ‬a-bee-gél ܶ ܺ ‫ܰܐ‬
ܳ ܳ ܰ
Abraham Abraham ‫ اﺑﺮاﻫﯿﻢ‬ab-ro-hom ‫ܳܐ ܗܡ‬
Adam Adam ‫ آدم‬o-dom ‫ܽܳܐܕܡ‬
Edessa Edesse ‫ اﻟﺮﻫﺎ‬oor-hoy ‫ܐܘܪܗܝ‬ܳ
ܽ ܰ
Aaron Aaron ‫ ﻫﺎرون‬ah-roon ‫ܽܐܗܪܘܢ‬
Ur Ur ‫ أور‬oor ‫ܽܐܘܪ‬
Jerusalem Jérusalem ‫ أورﺷﻠﯿﻢ‬oo-reec-lém ܶ ‫ܐܘܪ‬ ܺ
ܽ ܺ
Job Job ‫ أﯾﻮب‬ee-yoob ‫ܐ ܒ‬
‫܀܀܀܀‬

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