Lesson 7: Letters – ز (Zay), ر (Ra), د (Dal), ذ (Dhal)
These letters are unique in that they connect only to the preceding letter and not to the following one.
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ر (Ra) – Written as a /r/ and pronounced like a strong /r/ as in "Ratón" in Spanish.
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ز (Zay) – Written as a /z/ and pronounced as in "Zebra".
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د (Dal) – Written as a /d/ and pronounced as in "Dad".
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ذ (Dhal) – Written as a /dh/ and pronounced as a /th/ as in "this". May also be pronounced as a /d/ of as a soft /z/ in different areas, sometimes differing depending of the word.
Letter Connections
They are not dual-joining, which means they connect only to the preceding letters in a word.
| Final | Medial | Initial | Isolated | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ـد | ـد | د | د | Dāl (d) |
| ـذ | ـذ | ذ | ذ | Dhāl (dh) |
| ـر | ـر | ر | ر | Rāʾ (r) |
| ـز | ـز | ز | ز | Zāy (z) |
Note: Since these letters do not connect to the following letter, their forms remain the same in initial and medial positions.
Ready to practice what you’ve learned? Let’s see if you can read these words correctly!
This self-guided book is designed for absolute beginners who want to learn how to read and write in Levantine Arabic clearly and confidently. Through step-by-step explanations, engaging exercises, and answer keys at the end of each unit, you’ll build your skills gradually and independently.