ء, أ, إ, ؤ and ئ
Recognise the glottal stop on different written seats.
About this unit
Hamza ء is a glottal stop, the catch in “uh-oh”. It can sit alone or on a seat: ا, و or a ya without dots.
- ء
a glottal stop, as in “uh-oh”مَاء · water - أ
glottal stop on alifأَب · father - إglottal stop below alifإِبْرَة · needle
- ؤglottal stop on wawسُؤَال · question
- ئglottal stop on a ya seatرَئِيس · president
One letter, several shapes
A letter's shape depends on its neighbours. At the start it joins only the next letter, in the middle both neighbours, at the end only the letter before it.
A dash means the letter never joins the next letter: at the start of a word it looks as when alone, in the middle as at the end.
Whatever the seat, the sound is the same glottal stop. The seat does not add a w or y.
More words to read
شَيْء
thingshayʾبِئْر
wellbiʾrشَاطِئ
beachshāṭiʾ
فَأْر
mousefaʾrReading tips
Hamza is a consonant, a glottal stop. Its seat is a spelling convention; the chair does not automatically add a w or y sound. Learn the common written shapes here; detailed seat rules belong to later spelling work.
Reading practice
Listen before looking
Do the two recordings sound the same or different?
Letters in words
Match each sign to the same sign in its example.
Letters in words
Match each sign to the same sign in its example.
Shapes in the middle
Match each letter to its shape in the middle of a word.
Letters inside words
Match each letter to the marked shape in the word.
Read with support
Match the words to their pictures.
Read without a sound cue
Match the words to their pictures.
Sound to spelling
Listen. Choose the spelling.
Spelling to sound
Read the word. Choose its sound.
Sound to spelling
Listen. Choose the spelling.
Spelling to sound
Read the word. Choose its sound.
Build the word
Listen and build the word in typing order.
Build the word
Listen and build the word in typing order.
Build the word
Listen and build the word in typing order.
Recall the spelling
Listen and build the word without its picture.
Recall the spelling
Listen and build the word without its picture.
Recall the spelling
Listen and build the word without its picture.
Finish practice to save this unit.
You can read and write this
Recognise the glottal stop on different written seats.
أَب
fatherإِبْرَة
needleسُؤَال
questionرَئِيس
president
مَاء
waterشَيْء
thingبِئْر
wellشَاطِئ
beachفَأْر
mouseUse 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.
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