Hamza (ء) is a short stop in the throat, like the break in “uh-oh”; we write it ʾ. At the start of a word it sits on alif: أ with a fatha or damma, and إ with a kasra. Inside a word the strongest nearby vowel chooses the seat: kasra gives ئ, damma gives ؤ, fatha gives أ. At the end of a word after a long vowel, as in مَاء, hamza stands alone on the line. Whatever the seat, read it as ʾ; the letter آ is hamza plus a long ā. Taa marbuta (ة) looks like ه with two dots, comes only at the end of a word and is read a: مَدْرَسَة is madrasa. Alif maqsura (ى) looks like ي without dots and is read ā: إِلَى is ʾilā.
ء
hamzaʾ
أ
alif + hamzaʾa, ʾu
إ
alif + hamza belowʾi
ؤ
hamza on wawʾ
ئ
hamza on yaaʾ
آ
alif maddaʾā
ة
taa marbutaa
ى
alif maqsuraā
Worked examples
Hamza at the start of a word sits on alif. Press Listen: father, sister, finger.
Hamza inside a word. The seat follows the vowels: fatha أ, damma ؤ, kasra ئ. At the end, after a long vowel, it stands alone.
Taa marbuta and alif maqsura at the end of a word: clock, school, on, to.
Class activity
Hamza hunt. Write أَب، أُخْت، إِلَى and مَاء on four cards. Find the hamza on each card and say a small stop in the throat before the vowel, like “uh-oh”. Then write ة at the end of مَدْرَسَة and say madrasa, with a short a at the end.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Does the word end with a vowel or with the throat stop ʾ?
With the throat stop. The word is سَمَاء (samāʾ), “sky”.
2
How do you read ة at the end of مَدْرَسَة?
As a short a: madrasa.
3
Which seat goes with a kasra: ؤ or ئ?
ئ, as in سَائِق (sāʾiq).
4
Read aloud and say what it means: إِلَى.
ʾilā, to. The ى at the end is read ā.
5
The picture shows water. Which word is it: مَاء or أَب?
