Lesson №4

In this lesson we will learn the following four letters: «dal», «dhal», «ra», «zay». See what they look like:

The letters «dal»and «dhal» , «ra» and «zay» are similar in spelling but «dal» and «dhal» are written completely above the line when written, and «ra» and «zay» go under the line. You need to look at them carefully and find other differences between them. These letters, as well as «alif», do not connect to the following letter, so their separate forms are similar to the initial ones, and the medial ones to the final forms of writing.

The letter «dal»

The sound of this letter resembles the English «d» but dal is a bit softer.

This letter, like the letter «dhal» , is shaped like a roundish corner. See the letter «dal» with vowels:

Look at its forms at the beginning, middle and end of a word:

The letter «dhal»

«Dhal» is similar to «dal» in shape but «dhal» has a dot at the top.

The letter «dhal» with vowels:

This is what the letter «dhal» looks like in various positions:

Pronunciation of the letter

The letter «dhal» is interdental, i.e. the sound is formed by placing the tip of the tongue between the front teeth. If you are learning English, then you can hear the sound of this letter in the article «the» – the sound of the letters «th» is similar to the sound of the letter «dhal» in Arabic. However, when pronouncing «the» the tip of the tongue sticks out, when pronouncing «dhal» the tip of the tongue only slightly touches the edge of the upper teeth.

The letter «ra»

The letter «ra» is considered to look similar to «dal», but they are easy to distinguish. The letter «dal» forms a kind of «corner» , while the letter «ra» is more elongated, and its form resembles the blade of an Arab sword.

The letter «ra» with vowels:

This is what the letter «ra» looks like in various positions:

The letter «zay»

This letter looks exactly the same as «ra» but has a dot at the top. It sounds completely the same as the English «z».

The letter «zay» with vowels:

This is what the letter «zay» looks like in various positions:

Note to the lesson:

As you can see, the given letters are more or less similar in shape so try to remember them well and learn how to distinguish them from each other.

What have we learned in this lesson?

1. The letters dal and dhal, ra and zay are quite similar in shape but dhal and zay are different as they have dots at the top.

2. The letter dhal is interdental, i.e we place the tip of the tongue between the front teeth when pronouncing it.

3. All these letters do not connect to the letters that follow them.