Letter Name Sound ا Alif A, sometimes silent (glottal stop) ب Ba b ت Ta t ث Tha th (as in "thin") ج Jim j (as in "jar") or zh (as in "measure") ح Ḥa No English equivalent, a strong "h" sound from the back of the throat خ Kha kh (as in "loch") د Dal d ذ Dhal dh (as in "this") ر Ra r ز Zay z س Sin s ش Shin sh ص Ṣad Emphatic "s" ض Ḍad Emphatic "d" ط Ṭa Emphatic "t" ظ Ẓa Emphatic "dh" ع ʿAyn No English equivalent, a deep throat sound غ Ghayn gh (as in French "r") ف Fa f ق Qaf q ك Kaf k ل Lam l م Mim m ن Nun n ه Ha h و Waw w or "o" or "u" (as a vowel) ي Ya y or "e" or "i" (as a vowel)