How to type inshallah in Arabic
Everyone writes inshallah as one word in Latin letters. In Arabic it's three: إن (if), شاء (willed) and الله (God). The most common mistake is squashing them together, so the two spaces matter as much as the letters.
Nine keys in all. The only awkward one is the first.
Key names are for the standard Arabic layout on Windows and Mac (Arabic 101 / Arabic PC), read off a QWERTY keyboard. Our free online Arabic keyboard shows the same layout on screen, and the phone setup guides cover iPhone and Android.
Word one: إن
- 1إ2i / 'i · alif with the hamza belowOn a phone: hold ا and slide to إShift+Y
- 2نn · noonK
Word two: شاء
- 3شsh · sheen, one key for both lettersA
- 4اa · alif, the long aH
- 5ء2 / ' · hamza on its ownOn a phone: bottom row, far right on most layoutsX
Word three: الله
- 6اa · alifH
- 7لl · lamG
- 8لl · lam again, the two join upG
- 9هh · haI
The word in a sentence
| إن شاء الله | inshallah | God willing, hopefully |
| أشوفك بكرة إن شاء الله | ashoofak bokra inshallah | See you tomorrow, hopefully |
| ما شاء الله | mashallah | How wonderfulsame شاء الله, with ما in front |
Questions people ask
Is inshallah one word or three in Arabic?
Three: إن شاء الله. You will see it written as one word in chat, but the dictionary spelling has two spaces.
How do I type the إ with the hamza underneath?
On a computer with the standard Arabic layout it's Shift+Y. On a phone, hold the ا key and slide to إ in the pop-up.
How is the ء at the end of شاء typed?
It has its own key: X on the standard layout, and a key of its own on phone keyboards too, usually on the bottom row.
Learn the whole keyboard, one real word at a time.
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