Makharij al-Huruf: The Points of Articulation of Arabic Letters, Explained
All 17 makharij explained simply, grouped into five areas, with a table of every letter, the most common mistakes and a quick test to find any letter’s makhraj.
Muhammad AreebUpdated · 4 min read
The short version
- Makharij are the exact places in the throat, tongue, lips and nose where each Arabic letter is made.
- Following Imam Ibn al-Jazari, scholars count 17 makharij in five areas.
- The tongue produces 18 letters from 10 points; the throat produces 6 letters from 3 points.
- Find any letter’s makhraj by giving it a sukun after a hamzah with fatha, as in أَبْ.
- Getting makharij right avoids clear errors that can change the meaning of a word.
Makharij al-huruf are the points of articulation of the Arabic letters: the exact places in the throat, tongue, lips and nose where each sound is made. Scholars of Tajweed, following Imam Ibn al-Jazari, count 17 makharij grouped into five areas. Getting them right is the single biggest step towards correct recitation, because a sound made in the wrong place can turn one letter, and one word, into another.
Why makharij matter
Arabic has several pairs of letters that sound alike to non-Arabic speakers but are completely different words when pronounced correctly. قَلْب (qalb) means heart; كَلْب (kalb) means dog. عَلِيم (ʿalīm, all-knowing) and أَلِيم (alīm, painful) differ only in their first letter.
Scholars class these as clear errors (laḥn jalī), which every reciter must avoid. That is why makharij are the first thing a good teacher works on, before any other rule. If you are new to the subject, start with our overview: What is Tajweed?
The five areas of articulation
| Area | Arabic name | Number of makharij | Letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| The empty space of the mouth and throat | الجوف (al-jawf) | 1 | The three long vowels: ا و ي |
| The throat | الحلق (al-ḥalq) | 3 | ء ه ع ح غ خ |
| The tongue | اللسان (al-lisān) | 10 | 18 letters, from ق to ظ |
| The lips | الشفتان (ash-shafatān) | 2 | ف ب م و |
| The nasal passage | الخيشوم (al-khayshūm) | 1 | Ghunnah (the nasal sound) |
Al-jawf: the long vowels
The three madd letters, ا after a fatha, و after a damma and ي after a kasra, have no fixed point of contact. Their sound flows from the open space of the mouth and throat and ends when your breath ends. That is why they can be lengthened.
Al-halq: the throat letters
The throat has three points, from deepest to nearest the mouth:
- Deepest part: ء (hamzah) and ه (ha).
- Middle: ع (ʿayn) and ح (ḥa).
- Nearest the mouth: غ (ghayn) and خ (kha).
The most common beginner mistakes live here: saying ح like ه, and ع like ء.
Al-lisan: the tongue letters
The tongue produces the most letters, from ten distinct points:
| Part of the tongue | Touches | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| The very back | The soft palate | ق |
| The back, slightly forward of qaf | The palate | ك |
| The middle | The hard palate | ج ش ي (non-vowel ya) |
| One or both sides | The upper molars | ض |
| The front edges | The gums of the upper front teeth | ل |
| The tip | The gum just above the upper front teeth | ن |
| The tip, slightly further back | The gum, close to nun | ر |
| The tip | The roots of the upper front teeth | ت د ط |
| The tip | Close to the lower front teeth, with the upper teeth | ص س ز |
| The tip | The edges of the upper front teeth | ث ذ ظ |
Two letters deserve special care. ض is unique to Arabic and is made with the side of the tongue against the molars. ظ must not be confused with ز; the tongue tip comes out slightly between the teeth.
Ash-shafatan: the lip letters
- ف: the inside of the lower lip touches the edges of the upper front teeth.
- ب: both lips close firmly.
- م: both lips close gently.
- و (non-vowel waw): the lips round without fully closing.
Al-khayshum: the nasal sound
Ghunnah, the humming sound heard on نّ and مّ and in rules such as ikhfa and idgham, comes from the nasal passage. Pinch your nose while saying إِنَّ: if the sound stops, the ghunnah is coming from the right place.
How to find the makhraj of any letter
Scholars of Tajweed teach a simple test: put a sukun on the letter and place a hamzah with a fatha before it. Say it slowly and notice where the sound stops.
أَبْ · أَتْ · أَقْ · أَعْ · أَصْ
The point where your tongue, lips or throat close is that letter’s makhraj. Practise in front of a mirror for the lip letters, and record yourself for the throat letters.
Makharij and sifat work together
Some letters share a makhraj and are told apart only by their qualities (sifat). ت د ط come from the same point, but ط is heavy and ت is whispered. Once your makharij are secure, the sifat are the natural next step.
Practise with a teacher
Makharij are physical. You cannot always hear your own mistakes, especially in the throat letters, so recite to someone trained to listen. In our Quran Tajweed Course, makharij are the first module, corrected live in every lesson. You can also test yourself with the free Tajweed flashcards.
Frequently asked questions
How many makharij are there?
Seventeen, according to the widely followed view of Imam Ibn al-Jazari, grouped into five areas: the open space of the mouth and throat, the throat, the tongue, the lips and the nasal passage.
Which letters do beginners find hardest?
Usually the throat letters ع ح, the heavy letters ص ض ط ظ, and ق, which is often confused with ك.
Can children learn makharij?
Yes. Children learn sounds by imitation, so they often pick up correct makharij faster than adults, long before they learn the names.
Sources
- Ibn al-Jazari, al-Muqaddimah al-Jazariyyah (poem on the rules of Tajweed)
- Tajweed Basics flashcards