Haa (ู) is the โhโ of โhatโ. Breathe the air out clearly, also in the middle and at the end of a word. It is not the throat letter ุญ: h comes from the breath and แธฅ comes from deep in the throat. Haa has no dots and four shapes, shown in the picture. Waw (ู) is the โwโ of โwaterโ. After a damma, waw is a long vowel โลซโ, like the โooโ in โmoonโ: ูููุฑ is nลซr. Waw has no dots and does not join the letter after it.
ูalone
ููstart
ูููmiddle
ููend
hฤสพh
ูalone
โstart
โmiddle
ููend
wฤww, ลซ
Worked examples
Two different h sounds. The first is a light breath, the second comes from deeper in the throat.
Waw as a consonant w and as a long ลซ. Press Listen: boy, light, market.
Three small words you will use all the time: he, she, here.
Class activity
Breath and lips. Hold your palm in front of your mouth and say โhaโ: you feel a light puff of air on your hand, as in English. Then tighten your throat and say โแธฅaโ: the breath is stronger and hoarse. Next say โwaโ and โnลซโ, rounding your lips for the ลซ. Write ู and ู five times each.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Does the word start with h or with w?
With w. The word is ููุฑูู (waraq), โpaperโ.
2
How does waw sound after a damma?
A long ลซ, like the โooโ in โmoonโ: nลซr.
3
Read aloud and say what it means: ููููุง.
hunฤ, here.
4
Which of these letters is haa?
ู
ู
ุญ
ู, the second letter. The first is waw and the third is แธฅaa.
