ArabicKeys Phonetic is a keyboard layout for Windows, macOS and Linux that types Arabic in any application using the keys of a Latin keyboard. Each Arabic letter is placed on the Latin key with a similar sound. Shift adds deep letters such as ص and ح, and AltGr adds letters written with h, short vowel marks and Eastern Arabic digits. Three variants cover the letter G for Iraq, the Levant, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.
- Phonetic letter placement. Each Arabic letter sits on the Latin key with the closest sound: s types س, b types ب and t types ت. The positions of the physical keys stay familiar, so typing follows the pronunciation of the word and no new key arrangement is memorized.
- Deep letters on Shift. Holding Shift changes a letter to its deep counterpart: Shift+S types ص and Shift+H types ح. Related sounds share one key, which keeps the layout compact and makes the deep letters predictable once the base letter is known.
- Letters written with an added h on AltGr. AltGr+S types ش, AltGr+T types ث and AltGr+K types خ. These letters match the Latin spellings sh, th and kh, so the combination is remembered through a transliteration already in common use. On a Mac, the Option key replaces AltGr.
- Short vowel marks. AltGr pressed on a vowel key adds the matching short vowel mark to the text. Vowel marks appear in dictionaries, textbooks, children's books and Quran texts, where the exact reading of a word is indicated.
- Eastern Arabic digits. AltGr pressed on a number key types the Eastern Arabic digits ١٢٣. Western digits remain on the number keys without a modifier, so both digit sets are available in a single layout.
- Three versions of the letter G. The layout is issued in three versions for the sound G: گ for Iraq and the Levant, ڨ for Algeria and Tunisia, and ݣ for Morocco. The version is chosen at installation and matches the dialect of the writer.
- Full alphabet coverage. Every Arabic letter has a key, in the base layer as well as in the Shift and AltGr layers. On Linux, Shift+L also types the joined form ﻻ. Texts are typed from start to finish without switching to another input method.
- Installation on Windows. The 32 KB ZIP archive contains an Install file for each G variant and an Uninstall file. The installer of the chosen variant is run, the permission prompt is approved, and the user signs out or restarts the computer. Switching between keyboards is done with the Windows key + Space. The layout works on Windows 10 and 11 with Intel or AMD processors.
- Installation on macOS. The 7 KB ZIP archive contains the ArabicKeys Phonetic.bundle package, which is copied into the ~/Library/Keyboard Layouts folder. After signing out and back in, the layout is added in System Settings under Keyboard, Text Input and Edit.
- Installation on Linux. The 5 KB ZIP archive contains an XKB layout with the scripts install.sh and uninstall.sh. The command sh install.sh levant, maghreb or morocco installs the chosen variant, and sh uninstall.sh removes it. On GNOME the layout is switched with Super+Space. Desktops running Wayland, such as Ubuntu 22.04 or Fedora 34 and later, are recommended.
- System-wide operation on the existing keyboard. The layout is installed as a keyboard of the operating system, so it works in browsers, text editors, messengers and office programs. The physical keyboard does not change: no stickers, extra hardware or separate typing program are involved.
- No account, no advertising, no data collection. The program is free and does not ask for registration. It shows no advertisements and collects no information about typed text. The installers are provided as readable scripts that can be reviewed before they are run.
- Compact packages. The Windows package weighs 32 KB, the macOS package 7 KB and the Linux package 5 KB. A combined 45 KB archive holds a folder for each system. Every download includes all three variants of the letter G.
- Online Arabic keyboard. The same site offers an online Arabic keyboard with large, adjustable keys for touch screens. It remembers the chosen G variant and offers a choice between Western and Eastern digits, with Shift switching to the other set. Typing with Latin letters is supported: slam gives سلام, and the digits 3, 5, 7 and 9 type additional letters, as in Arabizi. The buttons Copy, Clear, Search Google and Google Translate are included. Text stays in the browser, and the interface is available in 18 languages.
- Your name in Arabic and world clocks. The Your name in Arabic page shows a name in 14 calligraphy styles, from Kufi to Maghrebi, and saves it as an image. The site also includes world clocks with a time-zone setting and the option to add cities.
ArabicKeys Phonetic is published on arabickeys.app, a site that also offers an online Arabic keyboard with an interface in 18 languages and, at Tifinagh.app, a sister keyboard for Tifinagh script. The developer has not published the names of individual authors, the year of the first release or the programming language, so these details are not stated here. The project combines an installation set for Windows, a layout bundle for macOS and an XKB layout with scripts for Linux, and the installers are provided as readable scripts.
