Arabic Transliteration Key
How to read and pronounce Latin phonetic diacritics used in English Quranic transliteration.
| Symbol | Letter / Rule | Example | Pronunciation Guide | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ā | Alif / Fatha Madd | Al-Fātiḥah (الْفَاتِحَة) | Long 'a' sound as in 'far' or 'father'. | |
| ī | Ya Madd | Raḥīm (رَحِيم) | Long 'e' sound as in 'see' or 'machine'. | |
| ū | Waw Madd | Nūr (نُور) | Long 'u' sound as in 'moon' or 'flute'. | |
| ḥ | Ḥā (ح) | Al-Ḥamdu (الْحَمْدُ) | Heavy 'h' produced from the middle of the throat. | |
| ʿ | ʿAyn (ع) | Al-ʿĀlamīn (الْعَالَمِين) | Deep throat glottal sound characteristic of Arabic. | |
| ṣ | Ṣād (ص) | Ṣirāṭ (صِرَاط) | Emphatic heavy 's' sound. | |
| ḍ | Ḍād (ض) | Aḍ-Ḍāllīn (الضَّالِّين) | Heavy 'd' sound made by pressing the tongue against upper molars. | |
| ṭ | Ṭā (ط) | Ṭayyib (طَيِّب) | Emphatic heavy 't' sound. | |
| ẓ | Ẓā (ظ) | Al-ʿAẓīm (الْعَظِيم) | Heavy voiced 'th' sound as in 'this', pronounced emphatically. | |
| ' | Hamzah (ء) | Yū'minūn (يُؤْمِنُون) | Sharp glottal stop sound as in 'uh-oh'. |