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Unit 5 · Tune your ear · Meet

Tune your ear

Hear the course’s important contrasts before matching sounds to writing.

About this unit

Train your ear before you meet the letters. Arabic keeps sounds apart that English treats as one.

  • plain t: light, tongue forward
    تِين · figs
  • emphatic t: deep and heavy
    طِين · mud
  • light h: just a breath
    هَرَم · pyramid
  • throat ḥ: a tight, rubbing h
    حِمَار · donkey
  • short a: quick
    مَن · who
  • long ā: held longer
    مَال · money

تِين, figs, and طِين, mud, differ only in the first sound: the emphatic one darkens the vowel. The games also contrast k with the deeper q.

Reading practice

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Do the two recordings sound the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Hear the course’s important contrasts before matching sounds to writing.

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Use a Arabic keyboard

Standard Arabic keyboard or course tiles. Enter logical letters; the font shapes joins. Numbers retain normal digit order. Optional vowel marks are separate inputs.

All letters

ا
اisolated‍اfinal
long ā: held longerIn بَا
i

ā

ب
بisolated‍بfinalب‍initial‍ب‍medial
In بَ
i

ba

ت
تisolated‍تfinalت‍initial‍ت‍medial
In تَ
i

ta

ن
نisolated‍نfinalن‍initial‍ن‍medial
In نَ
i

na

ي
يisolated‍يfinalي‍initial‍ي‍medial
In يَ
i

ya / ī

د
دisolated‍دfinal
In دَ
i

da

ر
رisolated‍رfinal
In رَ
i

ra

و
وisolated‍وfinal
In وَ
i

wa / ū

م
مisolated‍مfinalم‍initial‍م‍medial
In مَ
i

ma

ل
لisolated‍لfinalل‍initial‍ل‍medial
In لَ
i

la

ك
كisolated‍كfinalك‍initial‍ك‍medial
In كَ
i

ka

ق
قisolated‍قfinalق‍initial‍ق‍medial
In قَ
i

qa

س
سisolated‍سfinalس‍initial‍س‍medial
In سَ
i

sa

ش
شisolated‍شfinalش‍initial‍ش‍medial
In شَ
i

sha

ف
فisolated‍فfinalف‍initial‍ف‍medial
In فَ
i

fa

ه
هisolated‍هfinalه‍initial‍ه‍medial
In هَ
i

ha

ة
ةisolated‍ةfinal
In كُرَة
i

final -a / -at. Final-only form: normally -a in pause, -at in linked grammar.

ج
جisolated‍جfinalج‍initial‍ج‍medial
In جَ
i

ja

ح
حisolated‍حfinalح‍initial‍ح‍medial
throat ḥ: a tight, rubbing hIn حَ
i

ḥa

خ
خisolated‍خfinalخ‍initial‍خ‍medial
kh: rough, as in “loch”In خَ
i

kha

ع
عisolated‍عfinalع‍initial‍ع‍medial
ʿayn: tight, with a buzzIn عَ
i

ʿa

غ
غisolated‍غfinalغ‍initial‍غ‍medial
gh: a gargle, with a buzzIn غَ
i

gha

ز
زisolated‍زfinal
In زَ
i

za

ذ
ذisolated‍ذfinal
In ذَ
i

dha. Voiced th as in English this.

ث
ثisolated‍ثfinalث‍initial‍ث‍medial
In ثَ
i

tha. Voiceless th as in English thin.

ص
صisolated‍صfinalص‍initial‍ص‍medial
emphatic s: deep and heavyIn صَ
i

ṣa

ض
ضisolated‍ضfinalض‍initial‍ض‍medial
emphatic d: deep and heavyIn ضَ
i

ḍa

ط
طisolated‍طfinalط‍initial‍ط‍medial
emphatic t: deep and heavyIn طَ
i

ṭa

ظ
ظisolated‍ظfinalظ‍initial‍ظ‍medial
emphatic dh: deep and heavyIn ظَ
i

ẓa

◌ْIn بِنْت
i

sukun: no vowel

◌ّIn مُعَلِّم
i

shadda: doubled consonant

◌ٌIn كِتَابٌ
i

tanwin -un

◌ًIn صَبَاحًا
i

tanwin -an

◌ٍIn قَلَمٍ
i

tanwin -in

ءa glottal stop, as in “uh-oh”In مَاء
i

glottal stop

أ
أisolated‍أfinal
glottal stop on alifIn أَب
i

glottal stop on alif

إ
إisolated‍إfinal
glottal stop below alifIn إِبْرَة
i

glottal stop below alif

ؤ
ؤisolated‍ؤfinal
glottal stop on wawIn سُؤَال
i

glottal stop on waw

ئ
ئisolated‍ئfinalئ‍initial‍ئ‍medial
glottal stop on a ya seatIn رَئِيس
i

glottal stop on ya seat

آ
آisolated‍آfinal
glottal stop + long āIn آدَم
i

glottal onset plus long ā

ى
ىisolated‍ىfinal
final long ā, no dotsIn مُسْتَشْفَى
i

final long ā. Final-only alif maqṣūra, without ya dots.