Lesson №6

In this lesson we are going to go over the letters «sawd» and «dawd». These are some of the most difficult letters to pronounce in the Arabic alphabet. They have no analogues in English. It is quite difficult to describe their sounds in a text, so we strongly recommend studying them under the guidance of a live teacher. You can also watch video tutorials on YouTube, but this will not replace a live teacher anyway.

This is how «sawd» and «dawd» look:

Please note that for the transcription of «sawd» and «dawd» a dot is used, which is placed under the letter. This is done in order to distinguish their transcription from the transcription of letters «seen» and «dal».

The letter «sawd»

The sound of the letter «sawd» is different from the sound of the letter «seen», «sawd» is a heavier version of the «seen». It is not the same as «s» sound, it is heavier.

The letter «sawd» with vowels:

And here is how it looks at the beginning, middle and end of a word:

The letter «dawd»

It is said there is no letter like «dawd» in any other language. It is considered a unique letter. The letter «dawd» with vowels:

And here is how it looks at the beginning, middle and end of a word:

Pronunciation of the letter

The letter «dawd» is similar to English «d» but it is a much heavier sound. For proper articulation, the side of the tongue should be touching the molars on the right or left, as if spreading the back of the tongue, while reducing the pressure on the front part of the tongue. Also, when it is pronounced correctly, you can feel a slight vibration and pressure on the cheeks.