Islamic Manual

The articulation points of the letters (makharij)

The seventeen points in the mouth, throat and nose from which the twenty-nine Arabic letters are pronounced, and how to find a letter's own point of articulation (makhraj).

Every letter in Arabic comes from a particular spot in your mouth or throat: that spot is called its makhraj. There are 17 spots in total for the 29 Arabic letters.

The seventeen points of articulation (makhārij) of the Arabic lettersA side-on cross-section of the mouth, nasal passage and throat, with the seventeen points at which Arabic letters are articulated numbered one to seventeen along the vocal tract, from the empty space of the madd letters, through the throat, the tongue against the palate, the teeth and the lips, up to the nasal passage. A numbered legend beside the diagram lists the letters produced at each point in Arabic script.1234567891011121314151617throatnasal passagemouth1. و ا ي: empty space (madd)2. ء ه: far throat3. ع ح: mid throat4. غ خ: near throat5. ق: tongue root / soft palate6. ك: just forward of qāf7. ج ش ي: tongue middle / hard palate8. ض: tongue edge / molars9. ل: tongue edge / gum10. ن: tongue-tip / gum11. ر: tongue-tip / roof12. ت د ط: tongue-tip / front teeth root13. ص ز س: tongue-tip / teeth edge14. ظ ذ ث: tongue-tip / teeth edge15. ف: inner lower lip / front teeth16. ب م و: both lips17. غنّة: nasal passage
Where each letter's sound comes from.

For example, the letters ب م و come from your two lips together. The letters ق and ک come from near the back of your tongue. And the letters ء and ھ come from deep in your throat.

The Prophet’s practice (Sunnah)the Prophet’s way

Each of the 29 Arabic letters should be said clearly from its own spot in the mouth or throat, the way the Prophet recited, pronouncing every letter distinctly.

Makhraj is the point of articulation from which a letter is pronounced. There are 17 articulation points in total, covering the 29 letters of Arabic.

The seventeen points of articulation (makhārij) of the Arabic lettersA side-on cross-section of the mouth, nasal passage and throat, with the seventeen points at which Arabic letters are articulated numbered one to seventeen along the vocal tract, from the empty space of the madd letters, through the throat, the tongue against the palate, the teeth and the lips, up to the nasal passage. A numbered legend beside the diagram lists the letters produced at each point in Arabic script.1234567891011121314151617throatnasal passagemouth1. و ا ي: empty space (madd)2. ء ه: far throat3. ع ح: mid throat4. غ خ: near throat5. ق: tongue root / soft palate6. ك: just forward of qāf7. ج ش ي: tongue middle / hard palate8. ض: tongue edge / molars9. ل: tongue edge / gum10. ن: tongue-tip / gum11. ر: tongue-tip / roof12. ت د ط: tongue-tip / front teeth root13. ص ز س: tongue-tip / teeth edge14. ظ ذ ث: tongue-tip / teeth edge15. ف: inner lower lip / front teeth16. ب م و: both lips17. غنّة: nasal passage
The 17 articulation points (makharij)
# Point of articulationLetters
1 The empty space between mouth and throat (al-jawf): the letters of maddو sakin after pesh, ا sakin after zabar, ی sakin after zer
2 The far part of the throat, near the chestء ھ
3 The middle of the throatع ح
4 The front of the throat, nearer the mouthغ خ
5 The root of the tongue against the hard palateق
6 Just in front of qaf's point, toward the mouthک
7 The middle of the tongue against the hard palate opposite itج ش ی (non-madd)
8 The edge of the tongue (left or right) against the upper molarsض
9 The far edge of the tongue against the gums by the upper molarsل
10 The tip of the tongue against the gums behind the upper front teethن
11 The tip of the tongue against the roof behind the upper front teethر
12 The tip of the tongue against the root of the upper front teethط د ت
13 The tip of the tongue against the edges of the upper front teethص ز س
14 The tip of the tongue against the edges of the upper front teeth (a finer distinction from #13)ظ ذ ث
15 The lower lip against the upper front teethف
16 Both lips togetherب م و (non-madd)
17 The nasal passageGhunnah, and the hidden ن and م
The Prophet’s practice (Sunnah)the Prophet’s way

Each of the 29 letters is to be pronounced clearly from its own articulation point (makhraj) among the 17, so that every letter is distinct, as the Prophet's recitation was described.

The makhraj is the precise point from which a letter's sound is articulated. The 29 letters of Arabic are distributed across 17 such points.

The seventeen points of articulation (makhārij) of the Arabic lettersA side-on cross-section of the mouth, nasal passage and throat, with the seventeen points at which Arabic letters are articulated numbered one to seventeen along the vocal tract, from the empty space of the madd letters, through the throat, the tongue against the palate, the teeth and the lips, up to the nasal passage. A numbered legend beside the diagram lists the letters produced at each point in Arabic script.1234567891011121314151617throatnasal passagemouth1. و ا ي: empty space (madd)2. ء ه: far throat3. ع ح: mid throat4. غ خ: near throat5. ق: tongue root / soft palate6. ك: just forward of qāf7. ج ش ي: tongue middle / hard palate8. ض: tongue edge / molars9. ل: tongue edge / gum10. ن: tongue-tip / gum11. ر: tongue-tip / roof12. ت د ط: tongue-tip / front teeth root13. ص ز س: tongue-tip / teeth edge14. ظ ذ ث: tongue-tip / teeth edge15. ف: inner lower lip / front teeth16. ب م و: both lips17. غنّة: nasal passage
The 17 makhārij
# Point of articulationLetters
1 Al-jawf: the empty space of mouth and throat; source of the ḥurūf al-maddو sākinah preceded by pesh; ا sākinah preceded by zabar; ی sākinah preceded by zer
2 Aqṣā al-ḥalq: the far throat, nearest the chestء ھ
3 Wasaṭ al-ḥalq: the mid throatع ح
4 Adnā al-ḥalq: the near throat, nearest the mouthغ خ
5 Aqṣā al-lisān against the soft palateق
6 Slightly forward of qāf's point, toward the mouthک
7 Wasaṭ al-lisān against the hard palate opposite itج ش ی (ghayr madd)
8 The edge of the tongue (either side) against the upper molarsض
9 The tongue's edge, just short of the molars, against the gumل
10 The tongue-tip against the gum behind the upper incisorsن
11 The tongue-tip against the palate behind the upper incisorsر
12 The tongue-tip against the root of the upper incisorsط د ت
13 The tongue-tip against the edges of the upper incisorsص ز س
14 The tongue-tip against the edges of the upper incisors, a distinct point from #13ظ ذ ث
15 The inside of the lower lip against the upper incisorsف
16 Ash-shafatān: both lips togetherب م و (ghayr madd)
17 Al-khayshūm: the nasal passageGhunnah, and the concealed ن and م of idghām/ikhfā

The source notes that merely reading this description is not sufficient to secure correct pronunciation; it must be learned from a qualified teacher and perfected through practice.

The Prophet’s practice (Sunnah)the Prophet’s way

Each of the 29 letters is to be articulated from its own makhraj among the 17, so that every letter is pronounced distinctly, following the description of the Prophet's recitation as clear and letter by letter.

This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 496 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.

Appendix Articulation Points of Letters (Makhraj)

Makhraj refers to the point of articulation from where a letter is pronounced. There are 17 articulation points for the 29 Arabic letters.

  1. First Makhraj: The empty space between the mouth and throat (known as the "juf") from which three letters are pronounced:
  2. Waw when it is sakin (not moving) and preceded by a pesh ( ُ).
  3. Alif when it is sakin and preceded by a zabar ( َ ).
  4. Ya when it is sakin and preceded by a zer ( ِ ).These are known as the "letters of Madd" (prolonged letters).
  5. Second Makhraj: The back part of the throat (closer to the chest) from which two letters are pronounced:
  6. ء
  7. ھ
  8. Third Makhraj: The middle part of the throat from which two letters are pronounced:
  9. ع
  10. ح
  11. Fourth Makhraj: The front part of the throat (closer to the mouth) from which two letters are pronounced:
  12. غ
  13. خ
  14. Fifth Makhraj: The root of the tongue and the hard palate. From here, one letter is pronounced:
  15. ق
  16. Sixth Makhraj: Just below the place where Qaf is articulated, towards the mouth, one letter is pronounced:
  17. ک
  18. Seventh Makhraj: The middle part of the tongue and the hard palate opposite it. From here, three letters are pronounced:
  19. ج
  20. ش
  21. ی (non mudd)
  22. Eighth Makhraj: The left or right edge of the tongue and the upper molars on the opposite side. From here, one letter is pronounced:
  23. ض
  24. Ninth Makhraj: The last edge of the tongue and the gums of the upper molars (before the molars). From here, one letter is pronounced:
  25. ل
  26. Tenth Makhraj: The tip of the tongue and the gums of the upper front teeth. From here, one letter is pronounced:
  27. ن
  28. Eleventh Makhraj: The tip of the tongue and the roof of the upper front teeth. From here, one letter is pronounced:
  29. ر
  30. Twelfth Makhraj: The tip of the tongue and the root of the upper front teeth. From here, three letters are pronounced:
  31. ط
  32. د
  33. ت
  34. Thirteenth Makhraj: The tip of the tongue and the edges of the upper front teeth. From here, three letters are pronounced:
  35. ص
  36. ز
  37. س
  38. Fourteenth Makhraj: The tip of the tongue and the edges of the upper front teeth. From here, three letters are pronounced:
  39. ظ
  40. ذ
  41. ث
  42. Fifteenth Makhraj: The lower lip and the upper front teeth. From here, one letter is pronounced:
  43. ف
  44. Sixteenth Makhraj: Both lips. From here, three letters are pronounced:
  45. ب
  46. م
  47. و (non-madd)
  48. Seventeenth Makhraj: The nasal passage. From here, the ghunnah (nasal sound) and two hidden letters are pronounced:

ن م

Appendix Note

To determine the correct Makhraj of a letter, you should stop the letter and then bring a moving Hamzah (the sound of "A") before it, and pronounce it. The point where the sound stops is the Makhraj of that letter.

Terms on this page

Makhraj

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