Arabic letters are divided into heavy (mufakhkham — مفخم) and light (muraqqaq — مرقق) letters. Heavy letters are pronounced with the back of the tongue raised and the mouth more hollow — giving a deeper, rounder sound. Light letters use a flat tongue position for a sharper, clearer sound.
Always Heavy Letters — 7 Letters
These 7 letters are ALWAYS heavy regardless of context: خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق — remembered with the phrase: خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ. They never become light.
Always Heavy (Tafkheem) — Examples
خ
Kha — Always Heavy
- ›Deep guttural sound from upper throat — pronounced with heaviness every time
Tip: Feel the throat vibrate when saying kha.
خَيْرٌ
— Khayrun — good
الْخَالِقُ
— Al-Khaliq — the Creator
ص
Sad — Always Heavy
- ›Heavy s — back of tongue raised, lips slightly forward
Tip: Never pronounce sad like a regular s.
الصِّرَاطَ
— As-Siraata — the path
صَالِحٌ
— Saalihun — righteous
ض
Dad — Always Heavy
- ›Heaviest Arabic letter — side of tongue against upper molars
Tip: Dad is unique to Arabic — no other language has this sound.
الضَّالِّينَ
— Ad-Daaallleen — the misguided
رَمَضَانُ
— Ramadaan
ط
Ta Heavy — Always Heavy
- ›Heavy t with tongue curled slightly back
Tip: Never confuse with ت which is light.
الطَّيِّبَاتِ
— At-Tayyibaat — the good things
طَرِيقٌ
— Tareeq — path
ظ
Dha — Always Heavy
- ›Heavy voiced th — tongue tip between teeth with heaviness
Tip: One of the most difficult letters — practise often with teacher.
ظَلَمَ
— Dhalama — he wronged
عَظِيمٌ
— Adheem — great
غ
Ghain — Always Heavy
- ›Voiced guttural from upper throat — always heavy
Tip: Imagine a light soft gargle in the throat.
الْغَيْبِ
— Al-Ghayb — the unseen
غَفُورٌ
— Ghafoor — forgiving
ق
Qaf — Always Heavy
- ›Deep back-of-throat sound — always heavy
Tip: The deepest stop in Arabic — tongue touches soft palate.
الْقُرْآنُ
— Al-Quran
قَلْبٌ
— Qalbun — heart
Special Rules for Ra (ر)
Heavy
Ra is Heavy — Tafkheem
Ra is pronounced heavy in these situations:
Ra is heavy when:
ر
Ra is heavy when it has fatha or damma, or has sukoon with a heavy vowel before it.
رَبٌّ
Rabbun
Ra with fatha = heavy
رُسُلٌ
Rusulun
Ra with damma = heavy
مَرْيَمُ
Maryam
Ra with sukoon + fatha before it = heavy
الْفَجْرِ
Al-Fajri
Ra at end with kasra — light when stopping
كِبَارًا
Kibaaran
Ra with fatha = heavy
Light
Ra is Light — Tarqeeq
Ra is light (like English r) in these cases:
Ra is light when:
ر
Ra is light when it has kasra, or when it has sukoon and is preceded by kasra (without a heavy letter separating them).
رِزْقٌ
Rizqun
Ra with kasra = light
الرَّحِيمِ
Ar-Raheemi
Ra with shadda+fatha — heavy in this case
فِرْعَوْنَ
Firawna
Ra with sukoon + kasra before = light
الْكَافِرِينَ
Al-Kafireen
Ra with kasra = light
القاعدة النورانية
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