That is the letter ت, pronounced same as t

   

There are 2 other letters that look exactly the same except for the dots, here is how to tell the three apart:

 

The ‫(b sound) ب‬ has the dot below its shell

The word “below” starts with the sound b.

Transliterated as b

 

The ‫ (t sound) ت‬ has two dots above its shell

The word “two” starts with the sound t.

Transliterated as t

 

The ث (th sound) has three dots above its shell

The word “three” starts with the sound th.

Transliterated as th

 

mnemonic pronunciation letter
dot below b ب
two dots t ت
three dots th in three ث

:read-theory:

Remember: these three letters have the exact same shape, only the dots are different. The only reason dots exist in Arabic is so we can easily tell letters like these apart.

Since they have the same shape, they behave the same way when we write them in cursive, which is the only way to write in Arabic. You'll see what this means when we talk more about the script.

   

Pronunciation examples:

ب (b sound) :

باب   door       baab

 

ت (t sound) :

توت   mulberry       tuut

 

ث (th sound, as in three) :

ثَوب   garment       thawb