It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to learn Arabic by transcribing words instead of learning the alphabet first. Think about how we learned English back in school. First, you learn your letters, then you form those letters into words, then you learn how to form sentences, and then you learn more about proper syntax and grammar. Taking shortcuts will only slow you down. The best way to learn a new word is to see it, hear it, write it and speak it, so combine those activities as much as you can.