Letters III
ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق
The emphatic letters and the sounds English doesn't have.
You will learn
- Recognise ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق
- Understand emphatic (heavy) consonants
- Approach ع and ق with realistic expectations
Emphatics
ض (heavy d), ط (heavy t) and ظ (heavy th as in 'this') are pronounced with the tongue raised at the back. Arabic is sometimes called 'the language of ḍād' because ض is so distinctive.
ع and غ
ع is a squeeze in the middle of the throat; there's no English equivalent, so listen and imitate. غ is a gargled 'gh', close to a French r.
- عَرَبِيّ — ʿarabiyy — Arabic
- غَرْب — gharb — west
ف and ق
ف is f. ق is a k made further back, at the uvula. Beginners often say k; that's fine at first, but notice the difference: قَلْب (heart) vs كَلْب (dog).
- قَلْب — qalb — heart
Vocabulary
| Arabic | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|
| ض | ḍād | heavy d |
| ط | ṭāʾ | heavy t |
| ظ | ẓāʾ | heavy th (as in 'this') |
| ع | ʿayn | throat squeeze — no English equivalent |
| غ | ghayn | gargled gh |
| ف | fāʾ | f as in 'far' |
| ق | qāf | deep k from the back of the throat |
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