
Each letter in the Arabic alphabet can have as many as four different forms depending on the position of the letter in a word. There are independent, initial, medial and final forms.
Initial: at the beginning of a word; or in the middle of a word, after a non-connecting letter. Medial: between two connecting letters (non-connecting letters lack a medial form). Final: at the end of a word following a connecting letter. Isolated: at the end of a word following a non-connecting letter; or used independently.
