Abjads

An abjad is a type of writing system in which the symbols primarily represent consonants, and the vowels are usually not written or are only sparsely indicated. In abjads, readers rely on linguistic context, knowledge of the language, and, when needed, diacritic marks or additional letters to supply the vowel sounds.

Key features include the predominance of consonant symbols, with vowel sounds often omitted in everyday writing. When vowels are important or unclear, short vowels can be marked with diacritics, while long vowels are frequently represented indirectly through consonants known as matres lectionis. Diacritic marks used for vowels in some abjads include systems like the Arabic harakat, such as fatha, damma, and kasra, though these are typically absent in standard texts.

Examples of abjads include the Arabic script, used for Arabic and several other languages; the Hebrew script, used for Hebrew and, with adaptations, some Jewish liturgical writings; Syriac; Phoenician and other ancient scripts. Persian (Farsi), Urdu, and several other languages use a variant of an abjad based on the Arabic script, where vowels are often not written in everyday use but may be indicated with diacritics or inferred from context. In Hebrew and Arabic, the practice of omitting short vowels is common in regular prose, while diacritics are used in teaching, religious texts, or language learners’ materials.

In typology, abjads are contrasted with alphabets, where both consonants and vowels have independent letters, and with syllabaries and logographic systems. Abjads reflect historical developments in Semitic writing and remain widely used where readability and economy of script are valued.