Lesson 7: ز (Zay), ر (Raa), د (Daal), ذ (Dhaal)
These four Arabic letters might look simple, but they each carry a unique sound — from the buzzing "z" of ز to the soft English-like "th" of ذ — and learning to tell them apart will sharpen both your ear and your tongue.
Pronunciation & Transcription
These letters are unique in that they connect only to the preceding letter and not to the following one.
- The letter ر (Raa):
-
Sound: A rolled or tapped “r”, similar to the Spanish “r” in pero or the Italian "r" in Roma.
- Transcription: /r/
2. The letter ز (Zay):
-
Sound: Like the English “z” in zebra or buzz, but a bit more stressed, as if immitating the buzzing of bees.
-
Transcription: /z/
3. The letter د (Daal):
-
Sound: Like the English “d” in dog or day.
-
Transcription: /d/
4. The letter ذ (Dhaal):
- Original Sound: Like the English “th” in this, that or mother ,but a bit more stressed, as if immitating the sounds of flies.
- Alternative Sounds: The pronunciation of this letter can vary significantly depending on the regional accent and the word. In the Levant region it will instead be pronounced as:
- In some words it may be pronounced as a “ز” (/z/) like in the word " إِذا " (if), which may be pronounced as /idha/ or /iza/.
- In other words it may be pronounced and directly written as a “د” (/d/) like in the word "ذَهَب" (gold), which may be pronounced as /dhahab/ or directly written as "دَهَب" and pronounced as /dahab/.
- Transcription: depending on how it is pronounced, it may be transcribed as a /dh/ - /z/ or /d/.
Letter Connections
These letters are not dual-joining, which means they connect only to the preceding letters in a word. These letters, along with the ا (Alif) and the و (Waw) are the only letters in Arabic that are not dual-joining.
| 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 that since these letters do not connect to the following letter, they only have two different shapes:
- Isolated shape (when not joining any letter)
- Connected shape (when joining the letter that precedes them)
The Shadda (ــّـ)
The shadda (ــّـ) is a diacritical mark in Arabic — just like the short vowels — and it’s written above both vowels or consonants.
It doesn’t create a new sound, but it doubles the letter it appears on, making you hold or emphasize the sound slightly more when pronouncing it. Think of it as pressing or stressing the letter — like a mini pause or tension, where your tongue or lips momentarily "stick" before continuing.
See the following examples:
جوّا /juwa/ - inside
بَرّا /barra/ - outside
The shadda (ــّـ) can appear both at the middle and end of a word and it can also carry a short vowel above or beneath it.
ــُّـ
بَيُّن /Baiyon/
their dad
ــِّـ
بيدَوِّر /bidauwer/
he searches
ــَّـ
دَوَّر /dauwar/
he searched
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.