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5.3: Letter Khaa

  • Page ID
    269529
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    Learning Objectives

    In this section, you will be able to:

    • Read and write خ in its different shapes.
    • Pronounce the letter خ with short and long vowels.

    Introduction

    The Arabic alphabet, with its rich history and cultural significance, comprises numerous letters, each carrying its unique phonetic and symbolic value. Among these letters is "خ" (khaa), a letter that holds a distinctive place in Arabic script. Pronounced as a voiceless velar fricative, khaa produces a sound similar to the "ch" in the German "Bach" or the "j" in the Spanish "jalapeño," making it an intriguing and somewhat challenging sound for non-native speakers to master. The letter "khaa" (خ) is the seventh letter of the Arabic alphabet. Its shape, characterized by a curved line with a dot above it, adds to the aesthetic beauty of Arabic calligraphy. Khaa is not only a fundamental component of the Arabic language but also plays a vital role in various dialects and has a presence in other languages that use the Arabic script. Understanding the letter khaa provides insight into the linguistic diversity and artistic expressions within Arabic culture.

    The Letter Khaa خ

    To pronounce the letter خ, say “kh” and pay attention to where the back of your tongue hits the back of the roof of your mouth and cuts off the air flow. Instead of closing off the air flow with the back of your tongue completely, block it partially and you will be able to produce the sound. The articulation point of the letter خ is at the closest part of the throat (the beginning of the throat), or the closest to the mouth. (See figure \(\PageIndex{3}\))

    Cross section of the head to show the articulation of the letter خاء
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Cross section of the head to show the articulation of the letter خ

    Pronunciation of letter Khaa "خ" with short vowels الحركات and absence of short vowels السكون.

    Pronunciation of Letter Jeem with Short Vowels and Sukoon
    The Marks (Harakat الحركات) The Letter with the mark Audio

    Fataha

    الفتحة

    خَ

    Dhama

    الضمة

    خُ

    Kasra

    الكسرة

    خِ

    Absence of short vowel

    Sukoon

    السكون

    خْ

    Pronunciation of the letter Khaa "خ" with long vowels.

    Pronunciation of Letter Khaa with Long Vowels
    The Long Vowel المدود The Letter with a long vowel Audio

    The long vowel "ا"=aa

    خا

    The long vowel "و"= oo/uu

    خو

    The long vowel "ي"=ee/ii خي

    How to write the letter Khaa

    The letter خ is a connecting letter, and it is written like the letter ج and ح, but the dot is placed above the letter. (Watch the video)

    The letter خ in four shapes
    Final Medial Initial Isolated
    ــخ ــخـ خـ

    خ

    Watch the video to learn how to write the letter Khaa

    Watch the video to learn more about the letter Khaa الحرف خاء. The letter changes shape depending on their position in a word.

    Practice Letter Khaa الحرف خاء

    Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)
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    Query \(\PageIndex{3}\)
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    5.3: Letter Khaa is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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