Reading Guide
Transliteration Key
دَلِيلُ النُّطْق
The transliteration on Dua360 is a guide to help readers who don’t read Arabic approximate the pronunciation. It is an aid, not a replacement for hearing the words recited — the long vowels, emphatic letters, and throat sounds are best learned by ear. Here is how each letter and mark is written.
A worked example
أَعُوْذُ بِاللَّـهِ الْعَظِيْـمِ وَبِوَجْهِـهِ الْكَرِيـمِ وَسُــلْطَـانِهِ الْقَدِيْـم ِمِنَ الشّيْـطَانِ الرَّجِـيْم ِبِسْـمِ اللَّـهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُوْلِ الله اللَّهُـمَّ افْتَـحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتـِك
A’ūdhu billāhi l-‘aẓīm, wa bi-wajhihi l-karīm, wa sulṭānihi l-qadīm, min aš-šayṭāni r-rajīm. Bismi l-lāh, wa aṣ-ṣalātu wa as-salāmu ‘alā rasūli l-lāh, allāhumma ftaḥ lī abwāba raḥmatik.
Vowels
| Mark | Written | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Short a (fatḥa) | a | the “u” in cut |
| Short i (kasra) | i | the “i” in sit |
| Short u (ḍamma) | u | the “u” in put |
| Long a | ā | the “a” in father |
| Long i | ī | the “ee” in see |
| Long u | ū | the “oo” in moon |
Consonants
| Letter | Name | Written | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|---|
| ء | hamza | ’ | a glottal catch, as in “uh-oh” |
| ب | bā’ | b | b in boy |
| ت | tā’ | t | t in top |
| ث | thā’ | th | th in think |
| ج | jīm | j | j in jam |
| ح | ḥā’ | ḥ | a breathy h from deep in the throat |
| خ | khā’ | kh | ch in Scottish loch |
| د | dāl | d | d in door |
| ذ | dhāl | dh | th in this |
| ر | rā’ | r | a rolled r |
| ز | zāy | z | z in zoo |
| س | sīn | s | s in see |
| ش | šīn | š | sh in ship |
| ص | ṣād | ṣ | a heavy, emphatic s |
| ض | ḍād | ḍ | a heavy, emphatic d |
| ط | ṭā’ | ṭ | a heavy, emphatic t |
| ظ | ẓā’ | ẓ | a heavy, emphatic dh |
| ع | ‘ayn | ‘ | a voiced sound from deep in the throat |
| غ | ghayn | gh | like a French/guttural r |
| ف | fā’ | f | f in far |
| ق | qāf | q | a k formed far back in the throat |
| ك | kāf | k | k in key |
| ل | lām | l | l in leg |
| م | mīm | m | m in moon |
| ن | nūn | n | n in net |
| ه | hā’ | h | h in house |
| و | wāw | w · ū | w in well; or long u |
| ي | yā’ | y · ī | y in yes; or long i |
| ة | tā’ marbūṭa | a · at | silent “a” at a pause; “at” when joined to the next word |
The definite article “al-”
“The” is written al-. Before about half the letters (the “sun letters”: t, th, d, dh, r, z, s, š, ṣ, ḍ, ṭ, ẓ, l, n) the l is silent and the next letter doubles instead:
الشَّيْطان → aš-šayṭān (not al-šayṭān) · الرَّجيم → ar-rajīm
Before the other letters (the “moon letters”) it stays al-: الكَريم → al-karīm.