ب (be) is the 2nd letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced b, as in “boy”, as in برادر (barâdar, brother).
How to write ب (be)
Persian is written from right to left, and most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. These are the four forms of ب:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| ب | بـ | ـبـ | ـب |
ب joins the letter that comes after it.
How to pronounce ب (be)
Just like English b in "boy": close both lips and release with voice.
Persian words with ب
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where ب is |
|---|---|---|---|
| برادر | barâdar | brother | start |
| باران | bârân | rain | start |
| بزرگ | bozorg | big | start |
| ابر | abr | cloud | middle |
| سبز | sabz | green | middle |
| سبد | sabad | basket | middle |
| کتاب | ketâb | book | end |
| آب | âb | water | end |
Good to know
- ب, پ, ت and ث share the same base shape and differ only in their dots; ب has one dot below.
- ب joins the letter after it, so at the start of a word it shrinks to a small hook: بـ.
Quiz: the letter ب
Check yourself on ب (be): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does ب (be) make?
2. Which word starts with ب?
3. What does باران (bârân) mean?
4. Does ب join the letter that comes after it?
5. What is the name of the letter ب?
6. Where is ب in the word ابر (abr, cloud)?
7. What is the position of ب in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- C. b: ب is pronounced b. Just like English b in “boy”: close both lips and release with voice.
- B. برادر (barâdar): برادر (barâdar) means “brother” and begins with ب.
- D. rain: باران (bârân) means “rain”.
- D. Yes, it joins the next letter: ب joins the next letter, so it has four forms.
- C. be: ب is called be.
- A. In the middle: In ابر, ب comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- B. 2nd: ب is the 2nd letter: ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
Common questions
How do you pronounce ب in Persian?
ب (be) is pronounced b. Just like English b in “boy”: close both lips and release with voice.
Does ب connect to the next letter?
Yes. ب joins the letter after it, so it has four forms: on its own, at the start, in the middle and at the end of a word.
How do I tell ب from پ?
ب has one dot below the letter and پ has three dots below. ب is pronounced b and پ is pronounced p.
The Farsi alphabet (Farsi: /alefbâye fârsi/ الفبای فارسی) consists 32 letters, most of which have two forms, short and full. In Farsi, words are written from right to left while numbers are written from left to right. Farsi is a writing style based on the Arabic script. It is entirely written cursively. That is, the majority of letters in a word connect to each other. Therefore, the appearance of a letter changes depending on its position: beginning (joined on the left), middle (joined on both sides), end (joined on the right) of a word and some letters are written isolated.
This writing style is also implemented on computers. Whenever the Farsi script is typed, the computer connects the letters to each other.
Following is a table showing the Farsi alphabet and how it is pronounced in English. There are also some examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| ح | چ | ج | ث | ت | پ | ب | الف |
| ش | س | ژ | ز | ر | ذ | د | خ |
| ق | ف | غ | ع | ظ | ط | ض | ص |
| ی | ه | و | ن | م | ل | گ | ک |
ب – بـ
“بـ – ب” /be/ is the second letter of the Persian alphabet. It sounds /be/ like “b” in “black”. “ب – بـ” has two forms. “بـ” is the short form. In general, letters in short forms take the initial or medial positions in a Persian word. “ب” is the full form. Letters in full form come only at the end of the words.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
بابا |
 |
آب |
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