Unit 1 · Lesson 2
Alif to khāʾ
ا ب ت ث ج ح خ
Start with the first seven letters. Notice the families: ب, ت and ث share one shape and differ only in their dots, and so do ج, ح and خ.
Tap a letter to see its shapes, hear its name and find an example word.
Watch the dots
| One dot below | ب |
| Two dots above | ت |
| Three dots above | ث |
| One dot inside the curve | ج |
| No dot | ح |
| One dot above | خ |
New sounds
ح (ḥāʾ) is a breathy h from the middle of the throat, like breathing on glasses to clean them. خ (khāʾ) is a rasp from the top of the throat, as in Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”.
PRACTICE
Tap an answer to check yourself.
Which letter is this?
ث
Which letter is this?
خ
Which letter has two dots above?