Meet Dhaa (ظ), the seventeenth letter of the Arabic alphabet. Look for its one dot above and its distinctive emphatic sound. Like Tah (ط), Dhaa can connect to letters on both sides when the surrounding letters allow connection.
What Is the Arabic Letter Dhaa (ظ)?
Dhaa is the seventeenth letter of the Arabic alphabet. It has one dot above and belongs to the emphatic Arabic sounds. In Standard Arabic, its traditional pronunciation is commonly represented as ẓ. However, pronunciation can vary somewhat across spoken Arabic dialects.
Dhaa (ظ) and Tah (ط): Learn the Difference
Dhaa (ظ) and Tah (ط) share the same basic written shape. However, Dhaa has one dot above, whereas Tah has no dots. Their sounds are different as well. Therefore, both the dot and the pronunciation help learners tell them apart.
Start with Tah (ط). Add one dot above the same basic shape, and it becomes Dhaa (ظ).
Where Is the Dot on the Arabic Letter Dhaa?
Look above the tall letter shape.
Dhaa has one dot above. By comparison, Tah (ط) has the same basic shape without a dot. As a result, checking above the letter is a fast way to distinguish Dhaa while reading.
How to Write Dhaa (ظ) in Its Four Arabic Forms
Dhaa is a connecting Arabic letter. Therefore, it can join letters before and after it when those letters permit connection. Although