Makharij al-Huruf: Complete Guide to Arabic Letter Articulation Points

Welcome to our complete guide of Makharij in Tajweed. We'll teach Makharij al-Huruf (مَخَارِج الحُرُوف: where letters come from) from the ground up in a friendly, logical, step-by-step way to make it easy for kids and beginners. We'll include Arabic words, transliteration, practical tips and drills so you can practice right away.

We'll also give short overviews of Regions of Articulation, How Non-Arabs should learn, Differences Between Similar Letters, Common Mistakes & Fixes, and Makharij vs Sifaat, and we'll save the deep practice of those for later.

What are Makharij al-Huruf?

The word Makharij (مخارج) comes from the Arabic word "Makhraj" (مخرج) which means an exit or a place something comes out from. And Huruf (حروف) means letters.

So, Makharij al-Huruf literally means "the places where the Arabic letters come out from."

Think of it like this: Each Arabic letter has a home, and that home is the spot in your mouth, throat, or lips where that letter comes out clearly when you pronounce it.

If you change the letter's home, you change the letter itself, and that's how pronunciation mistakes happen in Quran recitation. If the makhraj is wrong, the letter will sound like another letter or will be distorted. This is why Tajweed begins with makhraj.

How We'll Learn Makharij Here

We'll follow this logical progression:

1. Recognize the letter and listen to a correct model
2. Learn the exact place (makhraj) — touch that place with your tongue/lips to feel it
3. Control airflow and voice (voiced/unvoiced, strong/soft)
4. Practice minimal pairs (pairs of words that differ by one letter) to hear and fix differences
5. Move from single letters → syllables → words → verses

Throughout we'll give Arabic examples you can practice aloud.

The Five Main Regions of Articulation

There's a small difference of opinion among scholars: some say 16, others 17 main points of articulation. But classical tajweed teaching groups the mouth/nose/throat into 5 main regions. We'll give a short overview and 1–2 examples each. We'll study them in depth later.

الحلق — The Throat

Letters produced in the throat: ء، هـ، ع، ح، غ، خ

Examples: عَلَى (ʿalā), خَرَجَ (kharaja)

اللسان — The Tongue

Several points on the tongue touch parts of the roof/teeth to form many letters (e.g., ق، ك، ج، ش، ض، ط، د، ت، ر، ل، ن، س، ز، ص، ظ، ث، ذ)

Examples: قَلْب (qalb), دَرَسَ (darasa), ضَحِكَ (daḥika)

الشفتان — The Lips

Bilabial and labio-dental letters: ب، م، و، ف

Examples: بَاب (bāb), فَم (fam)

الثنايا/اللثة — The Teeth/Gum Area

Letters involving the tip or blade of the tongue near the upper teeth or upper gum (e.g., ت، د، ط، ث، ذ، ظ، س، ز)

Examples: تَفْعَلُ (tafʿalu), ثَابَ (thāba)

الخيشوم — The Nasal Passage

Not a place for distinct letters but the nasal resonance is used for ghunnah (nasal sound) in ن and م in certain conditions (e.g., idh-har/idh-ghunnah)

Examples: مَنّ in أَنَّ (when nasalized under rules) and the sound in م when pronounced with ghunnah

Note: classical scholars sometimes count the specific points more finely (many teachers teach 17 main makharij), but the 5 regions above are the easiest way to start. Naturally, link to Regions of Articulation in Tajweed

Examples of Makharij al-Huruf in English

Below we give each Arabic letter (including hamzah) with a concise, practice-ready description of where it comes from. Read it, feel the place in your mouth, and practice the example.

Tip for practice: Stand in front of a mirror, put a light hand on your throat to feel voicing, and say each example slowly.

Throat Letters

• ء (hamzah) — from the deepest part of the throat (glottis). Example: أَ in أَسَدٌ (asadun). Practice: try a very short, 'catching' sound as if stopping the breath quickly — like the break in "uh-oh"
• ه (hāʼ) — from the throat (slightly nearer to the mouth than hamzah), a breathy sound. Example: هُوَ (huwa). Practice: whisper "h" in "house" but from Arabic throat, not English "h"
• ع (ʿayn) — from the middle of the throat; a voiced, heavy guttural sound (no exact English equivalent). Example: عَالٍ (ʿālin). Practice: feel vibration deep in throat while pronouncing
• ح (ḥāʼ) — from the middle of the throat too but more breathy than ع. Example: حَمْدٌ (ḥamdun). Practice: try a breathy heavy "h" with the throat open
• غ (ghayn) — a voiced guttural made at the back of the throat/top of the throat; somewhat like a French "r" but deeper. Example: غَفَرَ (ghafara)
• خ (khāʼ) — a voiceless guttural friction at the back of the throat (like the Scottish "loch" or German "Bach"). Example: خَيْرٌ (khayrun)

Tongue Letters

• ق (qāf) — from the back of the tongue touching the soft palate (deepest of the tongue-to-palate sounds). Example: قَلْبٌ (qalbun). Practice: feel the back of the tongue press up and release; it's a heavier "k" than ك
• ك (kāf) — from the back of the tongue but a little more forward on the palate than ق. Example: كِتَابٌ (kitābun). Practice: compare قَلْب vs كَلْب — different places of back-tongue contact
• ج (jīm) — from the middle of the tongue touching the hard palate (some dialects vary); pronounced like "j" in "jam" in many Arabic dialects but classical reciters use softer contact. Example: جَبَلٌ (jabalun)
• ش (shīn) — from the middle of the tongue toward the palate, friction like "sh" in "she". Example: شَمْسٌ (shamsun)
• ي (yāʼ) — from the middle of the tongue touching the hard palate (a front-palate glide like English "y"). Example: يَدٌ (yadun)
• ض (ḍād) — unique letter: from the side or inner edge of the tongue pressing against the upper molars (or upper gum and side teeth area); it's heavy and has a particular resonance — this is why Arabic is called "لغة الضاد" (the language of Ḍād). Example: ضِرْسٌ (ḍirsun). Practice: place the side of the tongue against upper molars and force the sound out; compare to د
• ط (ṭāʼ) — from the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge (just behind the upper front teeth) — produced with emphasis (tafkhīm, heaviness). Example: طِفْلٌ (ṭiflun)
• د (dāl) — from the tip of the tongue touching the same ridge behind the upper front teeth (a light sound in many cases). Example: دَرْسٌ (darsun)
• ت (tāʼ) — tip of the tongue touching the ridge behind the upper front teeth (just in front of where د and ط contact) — a light "t". Example: تِلْمِيذٌ (tilmīdhun)
• ر (rāʼ) — from the tip of the tongue flicking the alveolar ridge; a single or rolling tap depending on context. Example: رَسُولٌ (rasūlun)
• ل (lām) — from the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge; it's a lateral liquid (air flows on the sides). Example: لَيْلٌ (laylun)
• ن (nūn) — from the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge — a nasal consonant when released through nose in certain cases (ghunnah). Example: نُورٌ (nūr)

Teeth/Blade Letters

• ز (zayn) — from the tip/blade of tongue near the upper teeth/ridge — a voiced "z" sound. Example: زَهْرَةٌ (zahra)
• س (sīn) — from blade/tip of tongue close to the upper ridge/teeth; unvoiced "s". Example: سَمَاءٌ (samāʼ)
• ص (ṣād) — from roughly the same place as س but with tafkhīm (heaviness) and a tighter channel — "emphatic" s. Example: صَدْرٌ (ṣadrun). Practice: feel the tongue posture like for س but make the sound thicker/heavier
• ذ (dhāl) — from the tip of the tongue touching the edges of the upper teeth; voiced, like "th" in "this". Example: ذَهَبَ (dhahaba)
• ظ (ẓāʼ) — similar to ذ but produced with tafkhīm (heavy), like an emphatic "dh". Example: ظِلٌّ (ẓillun)
• ث (thāʼ) — tip of tongue between or at the edge of upper teeth producing an unvoiced "th" like "thin". Example: ثَوْبٌ (thawbun)

Lip Letters

• ف (fāʼ) — from the lower lip touching the upper front teeth (labio-dental). Example: فِيلٌ (fīlun). Practice: put lower lip on upper teeth and blow
• ب (bāʼ) — from both lips coming together (bilabial). Example: بَيْتٌ (baytun)
• م (mīm) — from both lips together but nasal (air goes through the nose when appropriate). Example: مَاءٌ (māʼ)
• و (wāw) — from rounding of lips (a labial-velar glide similar to English "w"). Example: وَمْضَ (wamḍa)

How to Discover a Makhraj Physically?

• Touch test: For letters produced with the tip of the tongue (ت، د، ط، ر، ل، ن), touch the point in the mouth with your finger (careful) or feel with the tongue where you naturally touch to stop the sound
• Feel the throat: For ء، هـ، ع، ح، غ، خ put your hand on your throat and say the letter — feel the vibration and location (deep/near)
• Lips test: For ب، م، و bring lips together; for ف place lower lip on upper teeth
• Nasal test: For ن، م when they are nasalized (ghunnah), pinch your nose gently: the sound will change greatly or disappear if it's nasal

How to Learn Makharij in Tajweed: Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced

Beginner (weeks 1–4)

• Learn and practice lips & teeth letters (ب، م، و، ف، ث، ذ، ظ، س، ز)
• Mirror + slow repetition (5–10 minutes/day)
• Record yourself and compare to a teacher

Intermediate (weeks 4–12)

• Add throat letters and back-tongue letters (ء، هـ، ع، ح، خ، ق، ك)
• Work on minimal pairs: ق/ك, ص/س, ض/د, ط/ت
• Practice controlled airflow, short and long vowels

Advanced (months 3+)

• Fine tune sifaat (attributes): tafkhīm/tarqīq, qalqalah, ghunnah, etc.
• Practice reciting continuous verses, focusing on correct makhraj at word boundaries and under tajweed rules (idgham, ikhfa, etc.)
• Record and get teacher feedback

Minimal Pairs and Examples to Drill

Practice these pairs slowly and repeat:

• ق/ك — قَلْب (qalb) vs كَلب (kalb)
• ص/س — صَبَرَ (ṣabara) vs سَبَرَ (sabara)
• ض/د — ضَرَبَ (ḍaraba) vs دَرَسَ (darasa)
• ط/ت — طَبِيبٌ (ṭabībun) vs تَبِيبٌ (practice consonant context)
• ث/ت — ثُمَّ (thumma) vs تُمَّ (practice consonant context)
• ف/ب — فَتْحٌ (fatḥun) vs بَتْحٌ

Say each pair slowly, feel the makhraj change and listen.

Makharij for Non-Arabs

If Arabic is not your native language:

• Don't rely on English approximations — many Arabic sounds don't exist in English (ع، ح، ط، ض, etc.)
• Use the touch method: trace with your tongue or place your finger/stethoscope near the throat to feel where the sound originates
• Compare minimal pairs (above) and use a mirror and recordings
• Train with a native reciter/qualified tajweed teacher and use slow-down audio to copy exact articulation

(Link to this page - Pronouncing Arabic Letters Correctly)

Differences Between Similar Letters

Here are a few classic confusions and how they differ at the makhraj level:

ص (ṣād) vs س (sīn)

Both come near the front of the mouth, but ص is produced with tighter channel and tafkhīm (a heavier feel); س is light (tarqīq). Example: صِدْقٌ vs سِدْقٌ (try the feel)

ض (ḍād) vs د (dāl)

ض comes from the side/inner edge of the tongue pressing against the upper molars/gum; د comes from the tip of the tongue touching the alveolar ridge. ض has a unique resonance. Example: ضَمَّ (ḍamma) vs دَمَّ (damma)

ق (qāf) vs ك (kāf)

Both are back-tongue sounds, ق is from the deepest back of tongue against the soft palate (heavier), ك is from slightly more forward/back-tongue (lighter). Example: قَلْب vs كَلْب

ط (ṭāʼ) vs ت (tāʼ)

Both from tip of the tongue but ط is emphatic (tafkhīm) and produced with stronger closure/pressure

We'll provide drills contrasting each pair later. (Link to Differences Between Similar Letters from here)

Makharij vs Sifaat

• Makharij = where the letter is produced (place)
• Sifaat = how the letter is produced (attributes/qualities): voiced/unvoiced, heavy/light, nasal (ghunnah), echoing (qalqalah), hams (breathy), ismat (constancy), etc.

Example: ص and س have almost same makhraj (front of mouth) but different sifaat — ص has tafkhīm (heavy), س has tarqīq (light). So both are necessary for perfect recitation.

(We'll give a full list of sifaat with exercises later.) Link to Makharij vs Sifaat page here.

Common Makharij Mistakes & Fixes

Here are common learner mistakes and quick fixes. We'll expand these into exercises later.

• Replacing ḥarful-throat with throat-light: e.g., pronouncing ع like an English "a". Fix: practice deep-throat vibration; imitate reciter; hold a hand on throat
• Confusing qāf and kāf: pronouncing ق as a simple "k". Fix: push back the tongue farther, feel contact with the soft palate
• Making ظ like ذ or ز: not using tafkhīm. Fix: practice long vowels with the letter and feel heaviness
• No ghunnah on noon and meem where required: nasal sound missing. Fix: practice nasal exercises and pinch nose test
• Sibilant (s) vs emphatic (ṣ): s is thin, ṣ is heavy. Fix: compare minimal pairs and deliberately emphasize tafkhīm
• Wrong lip position for f and v/u sounds: or using English approximations. Fix: practice labio-dental placement: lower lip to upper teeth for ف

Click here to check the details about common mistakes in Makharij (link to this page).

Important Tajweed Connections to Makharij

• Qalqalah letters (ق، ط، ب، ج، د) — they have an "echo" when stopped (sukoon)
• Ghunnah — nasal sound mainly in ن and م under certain tajweed rules (e.g., tanween, noon-sakin, meem-sakin, ikhfa, idgham with ghunnah)
• Tafkhīm/Tarqeeq — heaviness vs lightness; letters that are naturally heavy (e.g., ص، ض، ط، ظ، ق) vs letters that are light (e.g., س، ت، د)
• Idgham, Iqlab, Ikhfa, Izhar — rules of noon and meem that interact with makharij and sifaat

We'll study how makharij must be preserved when applying these rules.

Practical Drills to Learn Makharij

• Mirror + finger test (5 minutes): pick 8 letters each day and say them slowly in front of a mirror, feeling the place
• Back-vs-front pairs (10 minutes): q/k, ṣ/s, ḍ/d, ṭ/t, th/t (ث vs ت). Repeat 20 times each pair
• Guttural practice (5 minutes): repeat ء، هـ، ع، ح، غ، خ one after the other, holding 2–3 seconds, feel throat depth
• Lip practice (5 minutes): ب، م، و، ف — put hand on lips, check for proper closure
• Record & compare (10 minutes): record one ayah each day and compare

How to Test Your Progress?

• Can you produce the letter alone with correct place and quality? ✔
• Can you produce the letter inside a short word (e.g., with short vowels) without distortion? ✔
• Can you pronounce minimal pairs distinctly so others can hear the difference? ✔
• Teacher or native reciter confirms your makhraj correct? ✔

Practice Words and Short Drills (Grouped)

• Throat set: ءَه عَ حَ خَ غَ — أَهْلٌ، عَمَلٌ، حُجْرَةٌ، خُبْزٌ، غُرْبَةٌ
• Back-tongue set: قَ، كَ — قَدَمٌ، كِتَابٌ
• Middle-tongue set: جَ، شَ، يَ — جَمِيلٌ، شَمْسٌ، يَدٌ
• Tip-tongue (front): تَ، دَ، طَ، رَ، لَ، نَ — تِلْمِيذٌ، دَرْسٌ، طِفْلٌ، رَسُولٌ، لَيْلٌ، نُورٌ
• Teeth/blades: ثَ، ذَ، ظَ، سَ، زَ — ثَوْبٌ، ذَهَبَ، ظِلٌّ، سَمَاءٌ، زَهْرَةٌ
• Lips: بَ، مَ، فَ، وَ — بَيْتٌ، مَسْجِدٌ، فِيلٌ، وَقْتٌ

Practice each set 2–3 times per day.

Dialects and Classical Recitation

Different spoken dialects pronounce some letters slightly differently (e.g., ج pronounced as "g" in Egyptian Arabic). For Tajweed and Quranic recitation you must follow the classical articulation, not dialectal variants. So always model a qualified qāriʼ (reciter) or teacher.

Final Checklist for Mastery

• Memorize makharij regions and the physical point for each letter
• Practice daily with minimal pairs and mirror
• Practice listening and mimicry — then record
• Learn sifaat in parallel (so you do not only place letters but shape them correctly)
• Get regular feedback from a qualified teacher
• Apply makharij correctly while learning tajweed rules (idgham, ikhfa, madd, etc.)