Learn Arabic and Quran online in Sri Lanka

Learning Arabic from Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Muslim community, about one in ten people, often learns Quran reading at a madrasa or maktab from childhood. Many adults want to understand the Arabic they recite, and many families have relatives working in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait or the UAE. Other learners are students and professionals who work with partners from the Arab world.

Lisanova Academy is an online academy run from Morocco. It has no classroom, branch, agent or locally based tutor in Sri Lanka: every lesson is a live one-to-one video lesson with a Moroccan teacher.

Starting Arabic from Tamil, Sinhala or English

Many Sri Lankan Muslims speak Tamil at home, and Muslim communities once wrote Tamil in Arabic script, known as Arwi. Learners who read the Quran already know the letters, so lessons can move straight to vocabulary, grammar and understanding. Complete beginners start with the alphabet, right-to-left writing and the throat sounds ع (ʿayn) and ح (ḥa).

Lisanova teaches two kinds of Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic (MSA, Fusha) — the formal Arabic of books, news, documents and Islamic scholarship — and Moroccan Darija, the everyday spoken Arabic of Morocco. Quran lessons are a separate path. It does not teach Gulf, Levantine, Egyptian or other Arabic dialects.

Modern Standard Arabic lessons in Sri Lanka

MSA lessons suit adults who read the Quran but want to understand it, madrasa students who want stronger grammar and speaking, and people preparing to work in the Gulf who need formal reading and polite speaking. Lessons follow the six CEFR levels from A1.

Moroccan Darija lessons in Sri Lanka

Moroccan Darija lessons online suit learners with Moroccan partners or friends and travellers to Morocco. It is not Gulf Arabic; Gulf-bound workers should start with MSA.

Quran lessons online in Sri Lanka

Quran lessons online are a common request from Sri Lanka: children learning to read from the first letters, adults correcting their Tajweed, and learners revising memorization. Each lesson is one-to-one, so the teacher hears and corrects every verse.

Quran lessons available: reading from the first letters, recitation with correction, Tajweed rules, memorization (Hifz) with revision, and understanding the meanings. Lisanova’s Quran teachers hold Ijazah in recitation and Tajweed. Lessons are arranged on WhatsApp so the academy can confirm the teacher, the explanation language and a realistic scope; no memorization outcome is promised.

Quran and Islamic Studies: single class $12 per hour; Monthly Package 1, 8 hours per month, $80; Monthly Package 2, 12 hours per month, $110. Families get 15% off for each additional sibling. Discover Islam sessions are free.

An online Arabic tutor for Colombo

In Colombo, where many of the country’s Muslims live, a private online tutor fits around school, work and traffic. Parents often book children’s Quran reading after school, and professionals choose MSA for work with Gulf partners.

Kandy, the Eastern Province and the rest of Sri Lanka

Learners in Kandy, Kattankudy, Kalmunai, Galle and Puttalam follow the same online arrangement, as long as the connection is stable enough for video. Families who learn Quran locally often add one-to-one Tajweed correction.

Lesson times

Sri Lanka is on UTC+5:30 all year, with no summer time change. Morocco is on UTC+1 for most of the year and UTC+0 during Ramadan, so you are usually four and a half hours ahead of your teacher, and five and a half hours ahead during Ramadan. A Moroccan morning lesson falls in your afternoon or early evening.

When you book the free trial or ask on WhatsApp, send your city and two or three preferred local times. The academy replies with a proposed time in your local time and in Morocco time; the lesson is fixed only once you both confirm. No timetable is published in advance and no hour is guaranteed.

Explanation language

Lisanova has teachers who explain lessons in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, as well as in Arabic; not every teacher speaks every one of these languages. The Arabic you learn is a separate choice from the explanation language. English suits most learners in Sri Lanka; lessons are not explained in Tamil or Sinhala. Learners who already understand some Arabic can ask for explanations in Arabic. Tell us your preference when you enquire and we match you with a suitable teacher.

Prices and getting started

Private Arabic and Moroccan Darija: one 60-minute lesson $20; 8 hours $120; 12 hours $170; 16 hours $200. Prices are in US dollars; no local-currency price is offered. The first trial lesson is free.

Book the free Arabic/Darija trial with your name, WhatsApp number and preferred package; the academy arranges the time with you on WhatsApp. You can pay by bank transfer, by card or through a money-transfer service such as Western Union; if one option is not available from your country, ask about the others before paying. Quran enquiries are arranged on WhatsApp. Cancellation and refund conditions are on the Terms page.