Khāʾ

Khāʾ Letter Video:

This short video showcases the letter Khāʾ in terms of its articulation point and characteristics. It demonstrates its practical pronunciation with Quranic examples and highlights the most common mistakes readers make when pronouncing it.

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First: The Articulation Point of the Letter Khāʾ

The Khāʾ is articulated from the upper part of the throat (the root of the tongue and part of distant soft palate facing it (near the uvula)). It shares its articulation point with the letter Ghayn, which is articulated slightly deeper, as shown in the illustration.

Second: The Main Characteristics of the Letter Khāʾ

Flexibility (Rakhawah), Elevation (Istiʿlāʾ), and Whispering (Hams).

The diagram of Khāʾ's articulation shows that the Makhraj is open, allowing the sound to flow continuously upon pronunciation without being cut abruptly. This defines the attribute of Flexibility (Rakhawah).

Khāʾ is one of the elevation (Istiʿlāʾ) letters, meaning the back of the tongue is raised during articulation, resulting in a heavy (Mufakham) sound. It is also a Whispered (Mahmoos)letter, meaning that extra breath accompanies its sound.

Third: Pronunciation of Khāʾ in Different situations Using Quranic Examples

You can click on the word to hear the correct pronunciation.

First: Khāʾ in a non-vowelled(Sukūn)state:
أَخْ	أُخْ	إِخْ
﴿أَخۡلَدَ﴾	﴿أُخۡرِجُواْ﴾	﴿إِخۡوَٰنًا﴾

Second: Khāʾ with short vowels (Harakat):
خَ	خُ	خِ
﴿خَلَقَ﴾	﴿خُذُواْ﴾	﴿خِفۡتُمۡ﴾

Third: Khāʾ with long vowels (Madd letters):
خا	خو	خي
﴿خَالِصَةٗ﴾	﴿أَخُوكَ﴾	﴿خِيفَةٗ﴾

Fourth: Khāʾ with Shaddah:
أَخَّ	–	أَخِّ
﴿أَخَّرۡتَنِيٓ﴾	–	﴿يُؤَخَّرُ﴾

Fourth: Common Mistakes in Pronouncing Khāʾ

1. Pronouncing it lightly (Muraqqaq), such as in: ﴿خَلَقَكُمۡ﴾. The correct way is to pronounce it heavily.
2. Over-emphasizing its heaviness (Tafkheem) when it has a Kasrah, such as: ﴿أَخِي﴾. The correct way is to give it the least amount of heaviness (Relative Tafkheem).
3. Making it bouncy (Qalqalah) when non vowelled (Sakin), such as: ﴿فَأَخۡرَجَهُمَا﴾. The correct way is to avoid Qalqala.

التحديد (104)، نهاية القول المفيد (50-51)، هداية القاري (1/65)، التجويد المصور (49)، المنير (54).

الرعاية (169)، نهاية القول المفيد (95)، هداية القاري (1/95)، التجويد المصور (97)، المنير (95).

Lesson Content

Lesson questions

1. الحروف العربية

Introductions