Arabic text
Arabic Transliteration (ALA-LC)
Romanize Arabic text with the ALA-LC table, and see what the result can and cannot tell you.
Runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded. · Free, no account · 1 min
Importing a saved run into your account is coming soon. Until then, your last runs stay in this browser only, and you can download your files.
How to use
- Paste Arabic text, ideally with tashkeel if you want the vowels.
- Choose the plain ASCII option if you need a file name or slug.
- Read the result and the notes about what was assumed.
- Copy the romanized text.
What it checks and how it works
The tool follows the Library of Congress ALA-LC Romanization Table for Arabic (2012 version), the scheme used in library catalogues: ء ʼ, ع ʻ, ث th, خ kh, ش sh, ح ḥ, ص ṣ and so on, with the article written al-. It is a transliteration of letters, not a pronunciation guide.
Everyday Arabic is written without short vowels, so محمد gives mḥmd, and the tool says so. Add tashkeel to get Muḥammad. Waw and yaa are read as the long vowels ū and ī unless they carry a vowel mark. The taa marbuta is written h, whereas ALA-LC writes t in a construct state, which needs grammar that the tool does not attempt, and the article is not assimilated before sun letters. The tool does not apply the ALA-LC rules for names of people and places that have an established spelling.
Sources
- Library of Congress: ALA-LC Romanization Tables, Arabic (2012 version) opened 29 Oct 2026
Related tools
Arabizi to Arabic Converter
Convert Arabizi (Arabic in Latin letters and numbers) to Arabic script, and review the ranked alternatives.
Arabic Slug Generator
Turn Arabic titles into clean URL slugs, in Arabic letters or in Latin letters.
Tashkeel Remover
Strip tashkeel (Arabic diacritics) from vocalized text, and keep the shadda if you want to.
Arabic Text Normalizer
Fold the spelling variants of Arabic text into one form for matching, searching and comparing.
Questions
About this tool
Not usually. Names often have an established spelling (Mohamed, Ahmed) that follows no table. ALA-LC is a library standard.
Everyday Arabic leaves the short vowels out, and the tool does not guess them. Add tashkeel to the input and the vowels appear.
Yes, with the plain ASCII option, which drops dots, macrons and the two Arabic letter signs. The Arabic Slug Generator also does this and handles separators and length.
Get started today
Find out where your brand stands in AI. Free.
Run a free AI visibility analysis on your domain. No credit card, results in minutes. See what AI engines say about your brand today.
Brands already measuring their AI visibility with Zaher.
