Lesson 10: Letters – ع ('Ayn), غ (Ghayn)

Get your throat ready cause we are about to learn two of the most iconic letters of the Arabic alphabet, and they come from deep in the throat, where most other languages never dare to go.

Pronunciation & Transcription

While these letters have a unique transcription and sound, they are not as hard to pronounce as it looks like.

1. The letter ع (‘ayn):

• Sound: While the letter  ع (‘ayn) is that famous “Arabian sound” that makes learners sweat, it is actually just pronounced as a deep gutrural /a/ and there are even speakers that pronounce it in
  a softer way resembling the regular /a/.
• Pronunciation Trick: If you really want to pronounce that strong "Arabian Sound", try to picture this while pronouncing it. Imagine someone playfully punches you in the stomach and you throw out a deep “ahh!” — that’s ع. 
• Transcription: Most speakers will transcribe this letter as a /3/ (because the shape of the letter resembles the number 3), however in day to day Arabic you can also see it transcribed as an /a/.

2. The letter غ (ghayn):

• Sound: the letter غ (ghayn) creates the exact same sound as the letter "r" in French or German. As in the words "rien" (nothing in French) and "rot" (red in German). 
• Pronunciation Trick: Pretend you’re gargling water or check the song "Non, je ne regrette rien" of
  Édith Piaf and try to immitate how she pronounces the /r/. 

   
• Transcription: mostly transcribed as a /gh/, though some speakers may write it as an /8/.

 Letter Connections

These letters are dual-joining, which means they connect to both the preceding and following letters in a word. Here is each letter in its different forms: