The language of the ḍād
Arabic is often called lughat aḍ-ḍād (لُغَةُ الضَّاد), “the language of the ḍād”, after the letter ض. Early Arab grammarians considered this sound to be special to Arabic. It is a heavy, emphatic “d” made with the side of the tongue. You hear it in the last word of Al-Fatihah: وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ (wa laḍ-ḍāllīn).
Sounds from the throat
- ع (‘ayn): a squeeze deep in the throat, with no English equivalent. As in عَلِيم (‘alīm)
- ح (ḥā): a strong, breathy h from the middle of the throat, tighter than an English h. As in رَحْمَة (raḥmah)
- خ (khā): like the “ch” in Scottish loch. As in خَلَقَ (khalaqa)
- غ (ghayn): like a French r, gargled at the back of the mouth. As in غَفُور (ghafūr)
- ق (qāf): a k made further back, at the very back of the tongue. As in قُرْآن (qur’ān)
- ء (hamzah): a short catch in the throat, like the break in “uh-oh”
Heavy letters
Four letters have a “heavy” (emphatic) version of a familiar sound. The back of the tongue rises and the sound becomes deeper and fuller:
- ص (ṣād): heavy s, compared with light س (sīn)
- ض (ḍād): heavy d, compared with light د (dāl)
- ط (ṭā): heavy t, compared with light ت (tā)
- ظ (ẓā): heavy dh, compared with light ذ (dhāl)
Mixing these up can change the meaning. سَيْف (sayf) is a sword, while صَيْف (ṣayf) is summer.
English sounds Arabic does not use
It works the other way too. Standard Arabic has no letters for p, v or the hard g in “go”. This is why Arabic speakers sometimes say “b” for “p” when speaking English, and why Arabic borrowings from English are often written with substitute letters.
Tips for getting them right
- Listen to a skilled reciter slowly, one word at a time, and repeat.
- Practise pairs side by side: س and ص, ت and ط, ه and ح.
- Record yourself and compare.
- Learn with a qualified teacher who can hear your mistakes. Correct pronunciation is part of reciting the Quran with tajwīd.
The Quran itself encourages careful recitation: “And recite the Quran with measured recitation” (Quran 73:4).
