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This beginner lesson teaches everything you need to know about the letter dhaal in Arabic — its unique "voiced th" sound, correct articulation, writing rules, and how it differs from the closely related letter daal. Designed for new Arabic and Quran learners, the lesson builds accurate pronunciation habits from the start. By the end, you will recognise, write, and correctly produce dhaal in any word or Quranic context.
Lesson introduction
Among the letters that trip up beginners most reliably, dhaal (ذ) stands near the top of the list — not because the sound is difficult, but because it looks almost identical to the letter before it in the alphabet. Daal (د) and dhaal (ذ) share the same base shape; only a single dot separates them visually, yet their sounds are completely different. Mixing them up in recitation is not a minor accent issue — it is a meaningful error that can change the word being read entirely.
The good news is that dhaal's sound has a perfect English equivalent. It is the "th" you make in the words "this," "that," "them," or "there" — a sound linguists call a voiced dental fricative. If you can say those English words naturally, you are already producing the correct sound. The challenge for most learners is not making the sound in isolation but recognising when to use it in Arabic — and making sure they never substitute the English silent "th" (as in "think" or "throne") by mistake.
This lesson covers every dimension of the letter dhaal in Arabic: its identity and position in the alphabet, the precise articulation of its sound, how it compares to daal and other similar letters, how to write it correctly, how it behaves with vowels, its Tajweed classification, and where it appears in the Quran. You will also practise reading it in high-frequency Quranic words from the very first lesson.
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Dhaal (ذ) is the tenth letter of the Arabic alphabet in the standard hijaa'i (alphabetical) order. In the older abjadi numerical order used by classical scholars, it carries the numerical value of seven hundred — one of the highest values in the system, a fact that places it among the "large number" letters alongside zay, seen, and others. It follows immediately after daal in the alphabet, and the two letters are grouped together in every standard Arabic alphabet learning sequence precisely because of their shared shape.
Dhaal appears across the Arabic language with notable frequency, particularly in demonstrative and relative pronouns — the grammatical words that point to things and connect clauses. This means dhaal is not a rare or exotic letter. It is present in some of the most common spoken and written Arabic words, and it appears throughout the Quran with great regularity. The word dhaalika (ذَلِكَ — that) alone appears over five hundred times in the Quran. The relative pronoun alladhee (الَّذِي — the one who) is similarly ubiquitous. A learner who does not master dhaal will stumble on these words in virtually every surah.
Linguistically, dhaal is a pure consonant — it produces a single fixed sound with no secondary function as a vowel carrier or supporting letter. It carries no special orthographic role (unlike alif, which sometimes carries hamzah). Its role is straightforward: whenever you see this letter, you produce its sound. This clarity makes dhaal conceptually simple — the main challenge is articulation precision and visual distinction from daal.
The sound of dhaal is classified in Arabic phonology as a voiced dental fricative. Each word in that description tells you something precise. Voiced means the vocal cords vibrate as you produce the sound — place two fingers on your throat and say "the": you feel the vibration. Dental means the tongue tip makes contact with — or approaches very closely — the upper front teeth. Fricative means the air does not stop completely but instead flows through a very narrow gap between tongue and teeth, producing a buzzing friction sound. This is the key difference from daal: daal is a stop (air halts completely), while dhaal is a fricative (air keeps flowing with friction).
The makhraj (articulation point) of dhaal is described by Tajweed scholars as ṭaraf al-lisaan ma'a athnaayaa al-'ulyaa — the tip of the tongue placed against or very near the upper front teeth, with air flowing between them. Many learners find it helpful to slightly protrude the tongue tip so it just touches or peeks between the upper and lower front teeth — exactly as in the English "the" or "this." The resulting buzzing sound is dhaal. If you push the tongue further and tighten the gap, you get the correct dental friction. If you pull the tongue back and stop the air entirely, you slide into daal territory.
In terms of its sifaat (sound characteristics), dhaal has the following profile: it is majhoor (voiced — vocal cords active), rakhwa (a fricative — airflow continues through the contact point), munsafiḍ (tongue sides do not rise to the palate), and muraqqaq (light — no throat heaviness or elevation). The rakhwa characteristic is especially important for Tajweed: because the air flows continuously, dhaal can be slightly extended or prolonged in a way that a stop like daal cannot. However, this should never become exaggerated — dhaal is light and controlled, never a drawn-out buzz.
No distinction in the early Arabic alphabet matters more for beginners than daal (د) versus dhaal (ذ). These two letters are visually almost identical and sit next to each other in the alphabet — yet they represent completely different sounds, and confusing them produces genuine reading and recitation errors. This step is dedicated entirely to locking in the differences.
The base shape of both letters is identical: a small angular wedge or reversed hook, sitting on and just below the baseline. The one and only visual difference is a single dot. Daal has no dot. Dhaal has one dot above the base shape. In any piece of Arabic text — whether a printed Quran, a book, or a handwritten note — the dot is always present on dhaal and always absent on daal. There are no exceptions and no ambiguous cases. When you see the wedge shape with a dot above, it is dhaal; without the dot, it is daal. Training yourself to check for the dot before reading the letter is the single most important reading habit you can develop at this stage.
Daal produces a dental stop: the tongue seals against the upper front teeth, air halts completely, then releases with a clean "d" pop. Dhaal produces a dental fricative: the tongue approaches the upper front teeth but does not seal — air continues to flow through the gap, creating a buzzing "th" sound. The clearest English comparison: say "d" (daal — a stop, clean pop) then say "th" as in "the" or "this" (dhaal — a fricative, buzzing continuation). These sounds feel and sound completely different once you isolate them. Meaning changes completely: dhahabaa (ذَهَبَ — he went) versus a word with daal produces entirely different meanings.
Writing dhaal correctly involves two components: the base stroke (identical to daal) and the dot placed above it. The base stroke is a single fluid motion: begin slightly above the baseline, draw a short rightward-leaning stroke that curves downward and to the left, ending just below the baseline with a small leftward tail. This is the same stroke as daal. Once the base is complete, place a single dot clearly above the highest point of the wedge shape. The dot should be small, round, and centred above the letter — not touching the stroke and not drifting to the left or right. In printed Arabic the dot is clean and well-separated; in handwriting, take a moment to place it deliberately.
Like daal, dhaal is a non-connecting letter. It belongs to the same group of six non-connecting letters: alif (ا), waw (و), raa (ر), zay (ز), daal (د), and dhaal (ذ). This means dhaal connects to the letter before it on its right but never extends a joining stroke to the letter on its left. As a result, dhaal's isolated, initial, medial, and final forms all look essentially the same — the small wedge with one dot above, with no leftward connecting tail added in any position. A word containing dhaal in the middle will appear to have a visual break or gap at that point, which is entirely correct.
Common writing mistakes include: forgetting the dot entirely (producing daal instead of dhaal — a meaning-changing error), placing two dots instead of one (which would suggest another letter entirely), making the base stroke too large so it resembles raa (ر), and adding a leftward connecting tail to dhaal as though it were a connecting letter. Keep the shape small and angular, the dot single and clearly placed above, and the left side of the stroke clean with no connecting extension.
Once you can produce the dhaal sound accurately, the next step is reading it with every vowel mark. The consonant dhaal becomes a readable syllable only when a vowel is added. Arabic uses three short vowels — fathah, kasrah, and dammah — plus sukoon (the silence mark) and shaddah (the doubling mark). Each combination produces a distinct syllable that you will encounter repeatedly in Quranic and everyday Arabic text.
For long vowel combinations: dhaal followed by alif (ا) produces a long "dhaa" sound, as in dhaalika. Dhaal followed by waw (و) with a preceding dammah produces a long "dhoo." Dhaal followed by yaa (ي) with a preceding kasrah produces a long "dhee." Remember that long vowels are held approximately twice as long as their short equivalents — in Tajweed, shortening a long vowel on dhaal is as much an error as mispronouncing the consonant itself.
In the science of Tajweed, dhaal has a clear and consistent classification that directly shapes how it must sound in Quranic recitation. Understanding these properties protects the learner from subtle errors that are invisible to the untrained ear but are genuine mistakes according to classical recitation standards.
Dhaal's Tajweed profile is as follows. It is majhoor (voiced — vocal cords must vibrate during its production). It is rakhwa (a fricative — the airflow continues rather than stopping). It is munsafiḍ (the sides of the tongue do not rise to press against the upper molars). And critically, it is muraqqaq (light — it must never be pronounced with the throat heaviness called tafkheem). The seven permanently heavy letters in Arabic are: خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق. Dhaal is not among them. This means that regardless of context, regardless of which vowel follows dhaal, and regardless of how emphatic the recitation style is, dhaal must always remain a light, dental, buzzing sound.
A very common Tajweed mistake among beginners is confusing dhaal with daal during recitation of fast-flowing ayaat. Under pressure, beginners sometimes convert dhaal into a daal — stopping the air instead of letting it flow — particularly in the word alladhee (الَّذِي). Listen carefully: the "dh" inside alladhee must buzz, not pop. Another mistake is producing the unvoiced English "th" (as in "think" or "throne") instead of the voiced Arabic dhaal (as in "this" or "that"). The unvoiced version is a separate Arabic letter, thaa (ث), and substituting it for dhaal is a phonemic error. A qualified Tajweed teacher will identify this substitution immediately in live recitation practice.
Dhaal appears in some of the highest-frequency words in the entire Quran. Recognising it quickly in Quranic text is therefore not an advanced skill — it is a basic reading requirement. The words below appear across virtually every surah of the Quran and provide your first and most important dhaal reading practice.
The word dhaalika (ذَلِكَ — that) is one of the most common words in the Quran, appearing over 500 times. It opens Surah Al-Baqarah (2:2): dhaalika al-kitaabu laa rayba feeh (ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ — That is the Book about which there is no doubt). The dhaal here carries a fathah and is followed by alif, producing the long "dhaa" sound. Notice the visual break after the dhaal in the written word — the alif on its left does not connect back to it, confirming dhaal's non-connecting nature.
The relative pronoun alladhee (الَّذِي — the one who, he who) contains dhaal in a medial position preceded by the shaddah on the laam. It appears in Surah Al-Fatihah (1:7): ṣiraaṭa alladhee an'amta 'alayhim (صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ — the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favour). This is one of the most recited phrases in Islamic worship. The dhaal inside alladhee must buzz — not pop.
The word idh (إِذْ — when, at the time that) ends with dhaal carrying sukoon, appearing many times in Quranic narrative passages, including Surah Al-Baqarah. For everyday vocabulary, udhun (أُذُن — ear), adhan (أَذَان — the call to prayer), and dhahabaa (ذَهَبَ — he went) are excellent beginner practice words. Each places dhaal in a different vowel context and position.
Everything you have learned about dhaal across the preceding steps now needs to move from knowledge into reflex. The three areas that require the most deliberate practice are: producing the voiced "th" buzz consistently, distinguishing dhaal from daal at a glance, and reading dhaal accurately in the flowing script of Quranic words. Use the drills below as your daily dhaal practice sequence for the first week.
Begin by producing the English words "this — that — them — there" slowly, paying attention to the buzzing vibration of your tongue against your upper front teeth. Now replace the English "th" with the same position and produce the Arabic syllables: dha — dhi — dhu — dha — dhi — dhu, ten times. Then practise the long vowels: dhaa — dhee — dhoo, holding each for two full counts. Finally, say the word dhaalika five times slowly and five times at normal speech speed. Record yourself. If your "dh" sounds like a clean "d" pop, you are making daal — add the buzz. If the buzz is unvoiced (no throat vibration), you are making thaa (ث) — engage your vocal cords.
Write the dhaal base stroke ten times, then add the dot above each one. Compare your written dhaal next to a written daal and confirm: one dot above makes all the difference. Then copy the words dhaalika, alladhee, and adhan three times each, observing where the visual break occurs after each dhaal.
A reliable mnemonic: "Dhaal has a Dot and Drones — Daal has no Dot and Doesn't drone." The dot above reminds you that the sound continues (drones, buzzes), just as a drone maintains a constant hum. Daal, without the dot, stops sharply. This links the visual feature directly to the acoustic feature in a single memorable phrase.
You have now built a complete foundation in this letter — its shape, sound, Tajweed classification, writing rules, and Quranic presence. The most valuable next step is hearing your own dhaal corrected in real time. Book a free evaluation with a Waraqa Al-Azhar teacher and get precise live feedback on your voiced "th" pronunciation today.
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References
A comprehensive English-language Tajweed textbook covering the makhraj and sifaat of every Arabic letter, including dhaal, with clear diagrams and classification tables. Use Chapter 3 alongside this lesson to study dhaal's sound properties in depth and compare it with daal and thaa in the same framework.
A free Quran software and web reader displaying the Uthmani script with Tajweed colour-coding applied letter by letter. Use it to locate dhaal in real Quranic text — particularly in dhaalika and alladhee — and pair the visual display with audio recitation by a certified reciter to hear correct dhaal pronunciation in flowing Quranic context.
A free resource with printable Arabic letter writing worksheets for beginners, covering isolated letter tracing and word-level practice. Use the dhaal worksheet to practise the base stroke and dot placement, and use the daal worksheet side by side to reinforce the visual distinction between the two letters through guided handwriting.
Common questions
No — and this is one of the most important distinctions to make from the very start. The Arabic dhaal (ذ) corresponds to the voiced English "th" sound, as heard in "this," "that," "them," "there," and "the." In all of these words, your vocal cords vibrate as you produce the "th" — place your fingers on your throat and say "this" to confirm the vibration.
The "th" in "think," "throne," "three," or "through" is a completely different sound called a voiceless dental fricative. It uses the same tongue position — tip at or between the upper front teeth — but the vocal cords do not vibrate. This unvoiced "th" corresponds to the Arabic letter thaa (ث), not dhaal. Substituting the unvoiced "th" for dhaal during Quranic recitation is a phonemic error — you would be producing a different Arabic letter entirely, which can change or distort word meanings.
The practical test: say "this" (voiced — feel the vibration) then say "think" (unvoiced — no vibration, just air). The first is dhaal; the second is thaa. Always produce dhaal with the voice engaged. If you are unsure whether your vocal cords are active, try humming and then sliding into the "th" position — the hum should continue unbroken. That continuous humming friction is dhaal.
The answer is simple and absolute: check for the dot. Daal (د) has no dot. Dhaal (ذ) has exactly one dot above the base shape. The base stroke of both letters is identical — a small angular wedge or reversed hook. The dot is the only distinguishing feature, and it is always present on dhaal and always absent on daal in correctly written Arabic. There are no exceptions.
To build the reading habit quickly, practise a deliberate one-second visual check before reading any letter that looks like the daal/dhaal shape: glance above the stroke first, then read the sound. Over time this check becomes automatic and instantaneous — experienced Arabic readers process the dot subconsciously — but building the habit consciously at the beginning prevents the lazy reading errors that are very hard to unlearn later.
A useful recognition drill: take any short surah from the Quran — Al-Ikhlas or Al-Kawthar work well — and scan the text specifically looking for the daal/dhaal shape. Every time you find it, check for the dot before moving on. Do this for five minutes a day for one week and your visual distinction between the two letters will become automatic. You can also try a flashcard approach with daal on one card and dhaal on another, drilling recognition speed until you can identify both correctly in under a second.
This is completely normal and correct. Dhaal is a non-connecting letter — it belongs to a group of six Arabic letters that never connect to the letter on their left side, even when appearing in the middle of a word. The other five non-connecting letters are alif (ا), waw (و), raa (ر), zay (ز), and daal (د).
In Arabic cursive script, most letters join together in a continuous flowing line within a word. When a non-connecting letter appears mid-word, the letters to its right connect to it normally, but the letter on its left must begin a new segment — creating what looks like a visual gap or break in the word. This is not a spelling error. It is the correct and only way to write Arabic.
Understanding non-connecting letters is essential for reading fluency. Once you know which letters never connect left, you stop being confused by the apparent "spaces" inside words and instead use them as reading landmarks. Dhaal (and daal) always create this break wherever they appear in a word — treat the break as a signal that you have found one of these two letters, and then check for the dot to determine which one it is.
Start with the words you encounter most frequently in prayer and daily recitation, since these give you immediate practical benefit. The most important dhaal word is dhaalika (ذَلِكَ — that), which opens Surah Al-Baqarah (2:2) and appears over 500 times in the Quran. Practise it until dhaal's long "dhaa" sound is completely automatic. The second most important is alladhee (الَّذِي — the one who), which appears in Surah Al-Fatihah (1:7) and recurs constantly. The dhaal inside this word must produce a clear voiced buzz, not a stop.
For shorter practice words, use: idh (إِذْ — when) — dhaal with sukoon in final position; dhu (ذُو — possessor of) — dhaal with dammah followed by waw; and dhahabaa (ذَهَبَ — he went) — dhaal at the start of a common Arabic verb. These five words cover dhaal in initial, medial, and final positions, with short vowels, long vowels, and sukoon.
A practical weekly routine: on the first day, practise dhaalika and alladhee. On the second day, add idh and dhu. On the third day, try reading Al-Fatihah and Al-Baqarah verses 1–5, circling and reading each dhaal before moving on. By the end of the week, you will have encountered dhaal in enough contexts that reading it will feel natural rather than effortful. If any specific word still sounds uncertain, that is the ideal moment to book a live session with a teacher for targeted correction.
No. Dhaal is permanently light (muraqqaq) in all Tajweed schools of recitation. It is never given tafkheem (heaviness or elevation) under any circumstances — not when preceded by a heavy letter, not when followed by alif, and not in any particular Quranic context. This is unlike some letters in Arabic whose weight changes depending on their surrounding letters or vowel environment.
The seven permanently heavy Arabic letters are: خ ص ض ط ظ غ ق. Dhaal is not among them. Additionally, the laam of the divine name Allah (الله) changes to tafkheem in certain vowel environments, but again, dhaal is unrelated to this rule. Some beginners hear the "th" sound in English spoken with regional variations that sound heavier or darker — none of these apply to Arabic dhaal. It must always be light, dental, and buzzing.
A useful self-check: if your dhaal sounds like it is coming from the back of your mouth or throat, you have drifted into heaviness territory. Bring the tongue forward to the upper front teeth, engage the vocal cords, and let the air flow freely through the narrow gap. The correct dhaal sounds light, front, and buzzy — never dark, heavy, or guttural. If you are unsure whether your dhaal carries any unintended heaviness, a qualified Tajweed teacher can evaluate it accurately in a live session.
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Book Free EvaluationThe makhraj of dhaal: tongue tip at the upper front teeth with continuous airflow — the same position as English "the"
The only visual difference between daal and dhaal is one dot — but their sounds are completely different
Writing dhaal: same base stroke as daal, plus one dot placed clearly above — and it never connects to the left