Persian Handwriting Practice: Trace Farsi Letters Online + Printable Worksheets

How to use the tracing trainer

1. Pick a letter and a form. Every letter has an isolated, initial, medial and final form. The seven letters that never join the next letter (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و) only have two shapes.
2. Trace the grey shape with your mouse, finger or a stylus (pen pressure changes the line width). Start on the right.
3. Press Check. The tool compares your ink with the letter: how much of the guide you covered and how much ink went outside it. Missed parts turn orange, and you get 1 to 3 stars plus tips such as “you missed the dots” or “trace right to left”.
4. Turn on ghost mode when a letter feels easy. The guide disappears and you write from memory; your writing is matched to the model’s size and position before grading.
5. Move on to words and your name. Joined words teach the connections between letters, which is where most beginners struggle.

Your stars are saved in this browser, so the letter grid shows what you have already mastered (✓) and what still needs work.

How Persian handwriting works

Persian is written from right to left in a joined script. Five ideas explain almost every letter shape:

• The baseline. Letters sit on an invisible line (the dashed line in the trainer). Some letters or their tails drop below it, such as ر, و, the bowls of ن, ی and س, and the deep curves of ج and ع.
• Joining. Most letters connect to the letter after them along the baseline, so their shape changes with their position in the word. Compare ب alone with بـ at the start of بابا.
• Non-joiners. ا د ذ ر ز ژ و connect to the letter before them but never to the one after, so a word breaks into pieces: دوست (dust, friend) is written in three pieces.
• Dots. Many letters share one body and differ only in dots: ب پ ت ث, ج چ ح خ, د ذ, ر ز ژ. A missing dot changes the letter, so the trainer checks them. Write the body of a joined piece first, then go back and add its dots. In quick handwriting many people write two dots as a short dash and three dots as a small caret (^).
• Teeth. Inside a word, ب پ ت ث ن ی shrink to a small tooth (دندانه, dandâne), and س ش have three teeth. Keep the teeth clear and of equal height so a reader can count them.

Naskh and Nastaliq in brief

Printed Persian (books, websites, this page) uses Naskh-style letters: upright, even and easy to read, which is why the guides here use a Naskh-style font. Nastaliq (نستعلیق) is the classic Persian calligraphy style, with long sweeping curves and words that slope down to the left. You see it in poetry, book covers and shop signs. It is written with a reed pen and takes years to master, so learn clear everyday letters first. Your own handwriting will naturally become quicker and more joined with practice, and that is fine as long as the dots and teeth stay readable.

Tips for neat Persian handwriting

• Practise on lined paper and keep the baseline steady; only tails and bowls go below it.
• Write each joined piece in one movement without lifting the pen, then add the dots and the top strokes of ک and گ.
• Learn letters in families with the same body (ب پ ت ث first), then write short words such as آب, بابا, نان.
• Use the printable worksheet: trace the dotted rows, then copy the model on the blank rows. Five minutes a day beats an hour once a week.
• Say each word as you write it. If you are still learning the sounds, play the Persian alphabet game alongside.

Related tools and lessons

• Persian alphabet game
• Write your name in Persian
• Persian typing tutor
• Persian keyboard online
• Persian dictation
• Read Persian without vowels
• Farsi alphabet lessons
• Persian alphabet: all 32 letters
• 7 common mistakes when writing Persian
• All free Persian tools