How to Pronounce Arabic Letters Correctly (Non-Arabs): Complete Beginner to Advanced Guide

We'll walk you through every Arabic letter with precise, practical instructions aimed at learners whose native language is not Arabic. First you'll get a compact table mapping each letter to a clear English approximation (where one exists). Then we'll explain every letter grouped by region (so you can practice similar sounds together), give step-by-step articulatory cues, common mistakes non-Arabs make, and practical drills you can do today.

Quick practical note: Arabic pronunciation depends on makhraj (place of articulation) + sifāt (attributes — e.g., voiced/unvoiced, emphatic/light, nasal). Learn the place first, then the attribute.

Arabic Letters Pronunciation Table

How to Use This Guide

1. Read the letter row in the table above
2. Practice the letter in isolation using the step-by-step instructions below
3. Try the provided example words with each letter
4. Do the drills at the end of each region
5. Record and compare with a native reciter / teacher

A. Al-Jawf — الجوف (The Empty Cavity)

Letters here are mainly vowels/lengtheners that don't require a contact point.

ا (alif) — Long a / ā

• Makhraj: Nowhere specific — sound flows from open cavity
• How: Relax jaw, open mouth, pronounce long /aː/ (hold 2–6 counts when practicing madd)
• Example: قَالَ qāla (the ā is long)
• Mistake: Shortening it; fix: by counting beats (1–6)

و (wāw) as madd / و (w) as consonant

• As vowel (madd ū): Hold long /uː/ — lips rounded. مُوسَى mūsā
• As consonant (w): Glide like English "w" in water; slightly rounded lips
• Mistake: Not rounding lips for /uː/; fix: by shaping a small "o" with lips

ي (yāʼ) as madd / ي (y) as consonant

• As vowel (ī): Long /iː/, tongue close to hard palate. قِيلَ qīla
• As consonant (y): Glide like English "y" in yes
• Mistake: Fuzzy vowel length; fix: with counted madd practice

B. Al-Halq — الحلق (The Throat) — Six Letters, Three Depths

These are the gutturals. Non-Arabs often struggle with ʿayn (ع) and ḥāʼ (ح).

1) Deepest (Aqṣā al-ḥalq) — ء (hamzah) and ه (hāʼ)

ء (hamzah) — ʾ

• Makhraj: Glottal stop (vocal cords)
• How: Stop airflow briefly at vocal folds then release — like the break in "uh-oh"
• Example: سَأَلَ saʾala
• Mistake: Omitting it — practice switching "uh-oh" style

ه (hāʼ)

• Makhraj: Just above glottis, breathy
• How: Relaxed breathy "h" (but in Arabic it can be more voiced at times)
• Example: هُنَا hunā
• Mistake: Too throaty (confusing with ḥāʼ) — hāʼ is breathier and lighter

2) Middle (Wusṭ al-ḥalq) — ع (ʿayn) and ح (ḥāʼ)

ع (ʿayn) — Voiced Pharyngeal Constriction

• Makhraj: Mid-throat / pharyngeal area
• How: Constrict the middle of the throat, create a voiced, resonant, "guttural" sound — feel vibration deep in the throat. No English equivalent
• Example: عَلِيّ ʿAliyy
• Mistake: Pronouncing it as plain vowel "a". Fix: Practice voiced constriction — say a deep voiced sigh while narrowing mid-throat

ح (ḥāʼ) — Voiceless Pharyngeal Fricative (Breathy)

• Makhraj: Same middle throat region but voiceless and more breathy
• How: Produce a strong breathy "h" from the middle throat (deeper than English "h" but not voiced)
• Example: حَبِيب ḥabīb
• Mistake: Using English "h" — push sound deeper and breathier

3) Nearest Mouth (Adnā al-ḥalq) — غ (ghayn) and خ (khāʼ)

خ (khāʼ)

• Makhraj: Upper throat / back of tongue against soft palate causing voiceless friction
• How: Similar to German "ch" or Scots "loch"
• Example: خَيْر khayr
• Mistake: Making it like /k/; fix: by producing friction

غ (ghayn)

• Makhraj: Same place as خ but voiced
• How: Voiced, gargling quality (like French r but deeper)
• Example: غَلَبَ ghalaba
• Mistake: Pronouncing as /g/; fix: by voicing the throat friction

Throat Drills (Daily)

Slow chain: ء — هـ — ع — ح — غ — خ (hold each 1–2 seconds; feel movement forward)

C. Al-Lisan — اللسان (The Tongue) — Many Letters

We'll group back → middle → sides → tip

Back of Tongue (Deep) — ق (qāf) and ك (kāf)

ق (qāf)

• Makhraj: Deepest back of tongue against soft palate (velum/uvular-like)
• How: Press back of tongue firmly against the soft palate, release — deeper than English /k/
• Example: قَلْب qalb
• Mistake: Saying /k/ (too forward); push tongue back

ك (kāf)

• Makhraj: Back of tongue against hard palate (more forward than q)
• How: Like English "k" but unaspirated (less puff)
• Example: كِتَاب kitāb

Drill: Alternate قَ — كَ slowly, feel back-placement difference

Middle of Tongue (Palatal) — ج (jīm), ش (shīn), ي (yāʼ)

ج (jīm)

• Makhraj: Center of tongue approaching hard palate
• How: Like English "j" in jam (classical); in some dialects it's /g/. For Tajwīd use the palatal j
• Example: جَمِيل jamīl

ش (shīn)

• Makhraj: Same mid-tongue toward palate, sibilant "sh"
• How: Like English "sh"
• Example: شَمْس shams

ي (yāʼ) Consonant

• Makhraj: Middle tongue near palate as glide "y"
• Example: يَد yad

Sides/Edges — ض (ḍād)

ض (ḍād) — Unique "Letter of the Arabs"

• Makhraj: Sides/inner edges of tongue against upper molars/gum — lateral resonance
• How: Press the inner sides of the tongue upward to contact the upper molars (not the tip); voice and add slight heaviness (tafkhīm)
• Example: ضَرَبَ ḍaraba
• Mistake: Making it like د — move contact from tip to sides
• Fix drill: Say a voiced "d" while sliding the contact laterally to the sides

Tip/Front of Tongue — Many Letters

These differ by tiny shifts and by sifāt (emphatic vs light, sibilant vs interdental).

ت (tāʼ), د (dāl) — Alveolar Tip

• ت: Voiceless stop (like English t, but unaspirated). تِلْمِيذ tilmīdh
• د: Voiced stop (like English d). دَرْس dars
• Mistake: Aspirated /t/ — practice unaspirated release (no big puff)

ط (ṭāʼ) — Emphatic t

• Makhraj: Same as ت but with tafkhīm (tongue body retracted, stronger closure)
• Example: طِفْل ṭifl
• Drill: Compare تَ — طَ and exaggerate heaviness

ن (nūn), ل (lām), ر (rāʼ)

• ن: Tip touches alveolar ridge; nasal. نُور nūr
• ل: Tip to ridge; lateral air flow. لَيْل layl
• ر: Tip flick/tap the ridge (a single tap) — practice rolling if needed. رَجُل rajul
• Mistake: Not tapping for ر; fix: with rapid single flicking

س (sīn) vs ش (shīn) vs ص (ṣād)

• س: Thin sibilant /s/ (tongue blade near front). سَمَاء samāʼ
• ش: Palatal sibilant /ʃ/ "sh". شَمْس shams
• ص: Emphatic s (tafkhīm + narrower channel). صَمْت ṣamt
• Drill: Contrast س/ص, س/ش

ث (thāʼ) vs ذ (dhāl) vs ظ (ẓāʼ)

• ث: Unvoiced interdental /θ/ (think). ثَوْب thawb
• ذ: Voiced interdental /ð/ (this). ذَهَبَ dhahaba
• ظ: Emphatic voiced dental/interdental (heavy). ظِلّ ẓill
• Mistake: Replacing interdental sounds with s/z or t/d; practice placing the tongue between teeth for ث/ذ

D. Ash-Shafatayn — الشفتان (The Lips)

Simple and fast to learn.

ب (bāʼ) and م (mīm) — Bilabial Closure

• ب: Close both lips then release (voiced). بَيْت bayt
• م: Close both lips and nasalize (voiced nasal). مَاء māʼ
• Mistake: Letting air escape through nose on ب (should be oral) — check with hand on nose

ف (fāʼ) — Labiodental

• Makhraj: Lower lip touches upper front teeth; blow air
• Example: فَم fam
• Mistake: Using upper lip; fix: by mirror

و (wāw) — Lip Rounding / Glide

• How: Round lips and glide like English "w"
• Example: وَقْت waqt

Lips drill: Repeat بَ — مَ — فَ — وَ focusing on lip shape

E. Al-Khayshoom — الخيشوم (Nasal Resonance)

Not primary for letter origin but crucial for ghunnah (nasalization).

م (mīm) and ن (nūn) with Ghunnah

• When: Meem-sakin (مْ) in certain rules, noon-sakin (نْ) in idgham/ikhfa etc., tanwin
• How: Allow airflow through the nose while holding the letter (two counts for ghunnah). Pinch nose to check: if sound changes/disappears, you're using the nose
• Drill: Sustain نّ and مّ with ghunnah for two beats

Common Non-Arab Pronunciation Issues & Precise Fixes

• Turning qāf into kāf — fix: push tongue back toward soft palate; practice q/k contrast
• Not producing ʿayn (ع) — fix: practice deep pharyngeal constriction with voiced sighs ("aaah" while tightening mid-throat)
• Confusing emphatic (ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, ẓ) vs non-emphatic — fix: exaggerate tafkhīm (retract tongue body) at first, then normalize
• Over-aspiration of stops (t, k, p-like puff) — Arabic stops are generally unaspirated. Try pronouncing with less puff: feel less air on release
• Using English dental vs interdental placement — for ث/ذ, put the tongue slightly between teeth (not at alveolar ridge)
• R sound (ر) problems — practice tapping the tongue quickly; a single tap is often enough in Quranic recitation

Minimal Pairs & Practice Progression (Daily Routine)

Do these drills daily (20–30 minutes total). Record once per week.

Beginner (10–14 days)

• Mirror + lips/tongue placement (10 min)
• Repeat chain drills: throat chain, back/tip contrasts (10 min)

Intermediate (Weeks 3–8)

• Minimal pairs (15 min): ق/ك, ص/س, ض/د, ط/ت, ظ/ذ, ث/ت, ذ/ز. 20 reps each
• Short words & syllables with vowels (10 min). Record

Advanced (After 2+ Months)

• Read Qur'anic verses slowly, mark makharij, and apply tajwīd rules. Record and consult teacher

Practical Drills (Exact Exercises You Can Start Today)

• Mirror + finger test (5 min): Say ب، م، ف — watch lips. Say ت، د، ط — touch tip to ridge. Say خ، غ — feel back of throat
• Back vs front contrast (10 min): Alternate: قَ — كَ (20×), صَ — سَ (20×), ضَ — دَ (20×)
• Throat chain (5 min): ء — ه — ع — ح — غ — خ hold each 2 counts
• Nasal (2 min): Hold نّ and مّ (ghunnah) 2 counts; pinch nose to check
• Recording (weekly): Pick a 10-word list focusing on problem letters and record. Compare to a native reciter

How to Check Progress & When to Ask a Teacher

• You can hear distinct differences in recorded minimal pairs
• A teacher should confirm when you can consistently produce makhraj + sifaat in words and verses
• For Qur'anic recitation, teacher feedback is essential for tajwīd application

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet (Print / Stick by Your Desk)

• Back tongue: ق (q) deeper, ك (k) more forward
• Throat: ء (glottal), ه (breathy), ع (voiced pharyngeal), ح (voiceless pharyngeal), خ (voiceless guttural), غ (voiced guttural)
• Sides: ض — press tongue sides
• Front tip: ت,d / ط, ṭ — same place, ṭ heavier. س/ص — s vs emphatic s. ث/ذ — interdental th. ذ/ز — interdental voiced vs sibilant voiced
• Lips: ب, م (both lips), ف (lower lip to upper teeth), و (round)