By the end of this lesson
- Find the six throat letters
- Make the seven heavy letters full and deep
- Hear the difference between similar pairs
Arabic has sounds that don't exist in English. Most adult learners struggle with the same few, so we'll focus on those now. Lesson 2 of the Tajweed series covers every articulation point in detail.
The six throat letters
ءdeepest
هdeepest
عmiddle
حmiddle
غtop
خtop
ʻAyn (ع) and Ḥāʼ (ح) come from the middle of the throat. For ح, breathe out sharply as if fogging a window, with the throat slightly tightened. For ع, make the same tightening but with voice.
The seven heavy letters
خ
ص
ض
غ
ط
ق
ظ
Scholars group these as خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ. When you say them, raise the back of your tongue so the sound becomes full and deep. Every other letter is light.
| Light | Heavy | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| ت | ط | Same tongue position; ط is full and deep |
| س | ص | Same whistle; ص is full |
| د | ض | ض uses the side of the tongue against the upper back teeth |
| ذ | ظ | Tongue tip to the edges of the top front teeth; ظ is full |
| ك | ق | ق is made further back, near the uvula |
| ه | ح | ح is deeper and breathier |
| ء | ع | ء is a catch; ع is a squeezed, voiced sound |
PracticeLight or heavy?
طShow answer
Heavy
تShow answer
Light
قShow answer
Heavy
كShow answer
Light
غShow answer
Heavy
حShow answer
Light (deep, but not heavy)