Throat & Jaw Letters

The letter ق (Qaf) is a strong "k" sound produced deep in the throat (uvular), further back than the ordinary "k" of English "kite." The book designates it in transcription by "q." It is a moon letter in Arabic, so the definite article "ال" (al) is pronounced fully with it (e.g., القَلَم = al-qalam). Letter Forms: - Isolated: ق (when the letter stands alone - a deep bowl on the line with TWO dots above) - Initial: قـ (when it begins a word) - Medial: ـقـ (when it appears in the middle of a word) - Final: ـق (when it ends a word, keeps the deep tail below the line) The letter ق is a connector: it joins to the letters on both sides. It has TWO dots above it. It resembles ف (Fa) but ف has only ONE dot and sits on the line, while ق has TWO dots and its tail dips below the baseline. Sun and Moon Letters: ق is a MOON letter. With the article ال you both write and pronounce the "l": القَمَر (al-qamar). Vowel Marks (Harakat): - With Fatha (قَ): Pronounced "qa" (deep "k" + a) - With Damma (قُ): Pronounced "qu" (deep "k" + u) - With Kasra (قِ): Pronounced "qi" (deep "k" + i) - With Sukoon (قْ): Consonant only, the deep "k" stopped - With Shadda Fatha (قَّ): Pronounced "qqa" (doubled Qaf with "a") - With Shadda Damma (قُّ): Pronounced "qqu" (doubled Qaf with "u") - With Shadda Kasra (قِّ): Pronounced "qqi" (doubled Qaf with "i") - With Tanween Fath (قً): Pronounced "qan" (adds "-an" sound) - With Tanween Damm (قٌ): Pronounced "qun" (adds "-un" sound) - With Tanween Kasr (قٍ): Pronounced "qin" (adds "-in" sound) Practice Tips: 1. Make the sound from the very back of the throat, deeper than English "k" 2. Contrast ق (deep, throaty) with ك (Kaf, light and forward): compare قَلْب "heart" and كَلْب "dog" 3. TWO dots above distinguish ق from ف which has ONE dot 4. ق is a connector - it joins on both sides, unlike ر ز د ذ و ا 5. Very common: قال (he said), يقول (he says), دقيق (fine/flour)