How to teach the Persian alphabet to children growing up abroad

Start with listening and speaking, then add letters around ages 5 to 7, a few at a time, beginning with the letters in your child's own name. The Persian alphabet has 32 letters, is read right to left, and most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word; short vowels are usually not written at all. That is why spelling is harder than reading, and why pairing letters with stories a child already loves helps. Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app where relatives record themselves reading illustrated Persian stories; it is not a letter-teaching course, and this guide is general parenting advice, not a tested curriculum.

Azizan (azizan.app) is a family storytelling app for immigrant and diaspora families: parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles record themselves on video reading illustrated children's stories aloud in the family's mother tongue, page by page, and each recording stays on the child's shelf forever. Real family voices — never AI narration. Persian (Farsi) first.

What makes Persian script different

32 letters, written right to left. Numbers are written left to right, as in English.
Letters join, and change shape. Most letters have up to four forms (alone, start, middle, end of a word). Seven letters (ا، د، ذ، ر، ز، ژ، و) do not join to the letter after them, so a word can break into pieces.
Short vowels are usually not written. The long vowels are written with ا، و، ی. The short ones (a, e, o) are marked only in children's books and teaching materials, so a child must learn to recognise words from context.
Several letters share one sound. For example ث، س، ص all sound like "s"; ز، ذ، ض، ظ like "z"; ت، ط like "t"; ح، ه like "h"; غ، ق like a similar "gh". Reading is therefore easier than spelling, and spelling is where children (and many adults) slip.

A realistic order of steps

Ears first. Before letters, a child needs words: daily talk, songs, and stories read aloud. A child who can say the word «خرگوش» finds it far easier to meet its letters.
Start with the child's name, then family words such as مامان، بابا، نان، آب. Letters that mean something stick faster than a random alphabet song.
Two or three letters a week is plenty. Keep sessions to five or ten minutes.
Trace and say it. Writing in sand, with a finger, or with a thick pen helps small hands before pencil work; model the stroke direction (right to left) yourself, because it is the opposite of English habits.
Read real text early. Short sentences from a story the child loves are more motivating than isolated letters. Azizan's stories show the Persian text for children who are ready to read along; for under-fives the page shows the pictures and the reader's face.
Move on to the vowels and joining gradually. Do not try to explain every rule at once.

What research says (and what we could not find)

We did not find a large study comparing methods of teaching the Persian alphabet to children abroad. Most of what exists is small, or about adult learners, or from tutors and workbook publishers, so treat any "proven method" with caution.
Some Persian-literacy studies propose teaching letters in an order based on simplicity and frequency rather than the alphabetical order; the evidence we saw was small. Choosing letters from your child's name and family words is a practical version of the same idea.

Keep the warmth

Children keep the languages of people they love. A grandmother who listens to a child sound out a word on a video call, or who reads a story in her own voice, is doing more for motivation than flashcards. See how to teach Farsi to kids abroad and how grandparents abroad record bedtime stories.

Related guides

Questions

How many letters are in the Persian alphabet?

32. It is written right to left, and most letters take a different shape at the start, middle or end of a word.

At what age should I teach my child the Persian letters?

There is no single right age. Many parents start talking and reading aloud from birth and begin letters at about 5 to 7, when the child is curious about writing. Speaking and listening come first.

Should my child learn to speak Persian before learning to read it?

Speaking and listening first is the usual advice from parents and teachers: a child reads words they already understand more easily. There is no need to wait until speaking is perfect.

Why is Persian spelling hard?

Several letters share one sound (for example ث، س، ص all sound like s) and short vowels are not written, so a child must remember how each word is spelled.

Does Azizan teach the Persian alphabet?

No. Azizan is a storytelling app, not a letter course. Its stories include Persian text so that a child who is learning to read can follow along with a relative's voice, but it does not replace lessons or practice.

What if my child answers in English?

That is very common and does not mean the effort is wasted. Understanding usually comes before speaking; keep the sessions short and warm.

Open Azizan — record a story for your child

Updated: 2026-11-03 · By Aida Fard

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