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Type Arabic text in Illustrator

Each key of your keyboard types the letter of the official layout.

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Text for Photoshop and design software

Copy this converted text (joined letters, reversed order) and paste it into software that shows Arabic reversed or with separated letters.

Long-press a key for variants (e.g. ا‎ :‎ أ‎ إ‎ آ‎).

Phonetic mapping table
2 → ء
3 → ع
5 → خ
6 → ط
7 → ح
8 → غ
9 → ق
a → ا
A → أ
AA → آ
I → إ
b → ب
p → پ
t → ت
T → ط
th → ث
t' → ة
j → ج
dj → ج
H → ح
kh → خ
7' → خ
d → د
D → ض
9' → ض
dh → ذ
r → ر
z → ز
Z → ظ
s → س
S → ص
sh → ش
ch → ش
gh → غ
3' → غ
f → ف
v → ڤ
q → ق
k → ك
c → ك
g → ڭ
l → ل
m → م
n → ن
h → ه
w → و
o → و
u → و
ou → و
W → ؤ
O → ؤ
y → ي
i → ي
e → ي
é → ي
Y → ى
E → ئ
x → ش
' → ء
_a → ◌َ
_i → ◌ِ
_u → ◌ُ
_o → ◌ْ
_an → ◌ً
_in → ◌ٍ
_un → ◌ٌ
__ → ◌ّ
_ → ـ

Type the Arabic text for your logo, poster or packaging here, then paste it into Illustrator. For versions that set Arabic text backwards, this page also gives you a converted version with joined letters and reversed order.

How to use

  1. Type the word or phrase in Arabic in the text box, for example in Words mode if you do not know the Arabic layout.
  2. In Illustrator, check that the Middle Eastern and South Asian options are shown in the Type preferences.
  3. If they are, click Copy, paste into a text object and choose the Middle Eastern & South Asian Every-line Composer from the Paragraph panel menu.
  4. If your version lacks those options, open Design software mode, click Copy converted text and paste after a single click of the Type tool on the artboard.
  5. Apply a font that supports Arabic, have the wording checked, then create outlines once the logo is approved.

Arabic text in Illustrator: setting up composition

Illustrator can set Arabic properly, but only when you ask it to. Two settings matter. First, show the Middle Eastern and South Asian features in the Type preferences. Then, for every Arabic paragraph, pick the Middle Eastern & South Asian Every-line Composer from the Paragraph panel menu. Letters join, and the Paragraph panel lets you set the direction to right to left. Text pasted before this change is not lost: select it and switch its composer.

Logos, signs and packaging

Illustrator is mostly used for logos, shop signs and printed material, and Arabic lettering there calls for a few habits:

  • To widen a word, use the kashida ـ instead of tracking, so the joins stretch rather than snap.
  • Ask whoever supplied the text to proofread it before you create outlines.
  • Once outlined, each letter becomes a path you can reshape point by point for custom lettering.
  • For a tagline with vowel marks, compare both versions: harakat help readers with a proper name but can clutter a small logo. You can add them from the harakat panel of the Arabic keyboard.

When to paste converted text

Older Illustrator releases, other vector programs and some sign-cutting software do not join Arabic letters. Design software mode hands them text that is already shaped: letters joined through Unicode presentation forms, order reversed so it displays correctly from left to right. To make it hold up:

  • use point type created with one click, not area type, since wrapping inside a frame would scramble the line order;
  • choose a font that contains those forms, such as Tahoma, Arial or Noto Naskh Arabic;
  • tick Remove vowel marks if any marks drift out of place.

This text is meant for display only: Illustrator can no longer search or correct it as ordinary Arabic. For any change, start again from the original text on this page.

Moving between Illustrator and Photoshop

An outlined Arabic logo drops into a Photoshop composite without trouble, for example as a smart object. If you need to type text directly in Photoshop instead, the Arabic keyboard for Photoshop page covers that program’s own text engine setting.

Frequently asked questions

How do I type Arabic text in Illustrator?
Prepare the text on this page and paste it into Illustrator. Recent versions set it correctly when the Middle Eastern options are on and the paragraph uses the Middle Eastern & South Asian composer. For an older version, paste the text converted by Design software mode.
Why does Illustrator reverse Arabic letters?
The paragraph is often set with the standard Adobe composer, which is built for Latin scripts and lines letters up from left to right without joining them. Select the text and change the composer from the Paragraph panel menu. The text is recomposed straight away with joined letters.
How do I turn on Middle Eastern features in Illustrator?
Open the Type preferences and enable the option that shows Middle Eastern and South Asian features (called Show Indic Options in some versions). You may need to restart Illustrator. The Paragraph panel menu then lists the composers suited to Arabic.
Can I use the Middle Eastern composer on text that is already converted?
No, pick one method or the other. Converted text is already reversed, so the Middle Eastern composer would flip it back the wrong way. Paste normal text when that composer is available, and converted text only when it is not.
Can I convert Arabic text to outlines in Illustrator?
Yes. Type > Create Outlines (Shift+Ctrl+O) turns the letters into paths and keeps their joins. The file then opens anywhere without the font, which suits printers and vinyl-cutting shops. Keep an unoutlined copy, because a path can no longer be edited by typing.
How do I stretch an Arabic word in an Illustrator logo?
Insert one or more kashida (tatweel) characters ـ between two joined letters, so the connection gets longer without breaking. In Layout mode this character is on Shift + J. Avoid adding tracking, which puts space between glyphs and can visually cut the joins.
My Illustrator file shows broken Arabic on a colleague's computer. What should I do?
Their Illustrator probably has the Middle Eastern options turned off, or the font is missing. Send an outlined version for review, or ask them to enable those options and install the same font.

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Updated October 6, 2026