Marḥaban again, dear Arabic learners!
Let’s continue learning Arabic letters in our Arabic Alphabet series. Today, we explore one of the most unique letters in the Arabic alphabet: the letter ض (Ḍād).
This letter is so distinctive that Arabic is often called لغة الضاد (the language of Ḍād), because no other language has this exact sound.
In this article, we will learn how to pronounce the letter ض, how to write it and learn words with the letter ض in its different forms: initial, isolated, middle and final.
Stick to the end to take a quick quiz and test your information on the letter ض.
Are you ready?
How to Pronounce the Letter ض
Now, let’s start with pronouncing the letter ض. The letter ض doesn’t exist in English and that’s part of what makes it both fascinating and a little tricky for learners. It’s a deep, heavy, and emphatic sound that comes from the side of the tongue pressing against the upper side teeth.
Here’s how to get close to the correct sound:
- First, say the letter د (dāl), like the “d” in “dog”.
- Now, imagine making it thicker, deeper, and more forceful — and move the sound to the side of your tongue, not the tip.
- Your vocal cords vibrate when you say it, so it’s a voiced consonant.
- Arabic speakers often describe it as having a “dark” or “heavy” quality.
Tip
Don’t worry if the letter ض doesn’t sound perfect at first. Even native speakers from different regions pronounce the letter ض slightly differently. The key is practice and tuning your ear.
How to Write the Letter ض
The letter ض has a beautifully curved shape and changes depending on where it appears in the word. When in isolated form, it has a loop at the top right then a tooth and a wide curve from right to left, and a dot on top to differentiate it from the letter ص.
The letter ض is a letter that connects from the two sides, so when it is in initial and middle positions, it loses the wide curve, and instead it has a tiny arm connected to the preceding and following letters. In the final position, it retains the same isolated form but with a connecting arm to the right of the loop.
Let’s take a quick look at its four forms:
Isolated
ض
أرض (land)
Initial
ضـ
ضـوء (light)
Medial
ـضـ
مضـرب (racket)
Final
ـض
مريـض (patient)
Words with the Letter ض
Letter ‘ض’ (Ḍād) in Initial Position
Light
ḍawʾ
ضَوء
I turned off the light before sleeping.
Aṭfaʾtu al-ḍawʾa qabla al-nawm.
أطفَأتُ الضَّوءَ قَبلَ النَّومِ.
Frog
ḍifdaʿ
ضِفدَع
The frog jumped into the pond.
Qafaza al-ḍifdaʿu fī al-birka.
قَفَزَ الضِّفدَعُ في البِركَةِ.
Molar tooth
ḍirs
ضِرس
The doctor removed my painful molar.
Khalaʿa al-ṭabību ḍirsī al-muʾlim.
خَلَعَ الطَّبِيبُ ضِرسِيَ المُؤلِمَ.
Fog
ḍabāb
ضَباب
The fog covered the road early in the morning.
Ghaṭṭā al-ḍabābu al-ṭarīqa fī al-ṣabāḥi al-bākir.
غَطَّى الضَّبَابُ الطَّرِيقَ فِي الصَّبَاحِ البَاكِرِ.
Tight
ḍīq
ضَيِّق
This shoe is very tight.
Hādhā al-ḥidhāʾu ḍayyiqun jiddan.
هذا الحِذاءُ ضَيِّقٌ جِدًّا.
Letter 'ض' (Ḍād) in Middle Position
Racket
maḍrib
مَضرِب
I bought a new tennis racket.
Ishtaraytu maḍriba tinis jadīdan.
اِشتَرَيتُ مَضرِبَ تِنِسٍ جَديدًا.
Ramadan
Ramaḍān
رَمَضان
We fast during the month of Ramadan.
Naṣūmu fī shahr Ramaḍān
نَصُومُ في شَهرِ رَمَضانَ.
Vegetables
khuḍār
خُضَار
I like to eat fresh vegetables.
Uḥibbu an ākula al-khuḍāra al-ṭāzaja.
أُحِبُّ أَنْ آكُلَ الخُضَارَ الطَّازَجَةَ.
Favorite
Mufaḍḍal
مُفَضَّل
This is my favorite song
Hādhihi ughniyatī almufaḍḍala.
هذِهِ أُغنِيَتِي المُفَضَّلَةُ.
Waste
faḍalāt
فَضَلات
Don’t throw food waste in the street.
Lā tarmi faḍalāti al-ṭaʿām fī al-shāriʿ.
لَا تَرْمِ فَضَلاتِ الطَّعَامِ في الشَّارِعِ.
Table
minḍadah
مِنضَدَة
I put the book on the table.
Wadhaʿtu al-kitāba ʿalā al-minḍadah.
وَضَعتُ الكِتَابَ عَلَى المِنضَدَةِ.
Letter 'ض' (Ḍād) in Final Position
Eggs
bayḍ
بَيض
I had eggs for breakfast.
Tanāwaltu bayḍan ʻalá alfuṭwr
تَنَاوَلتُ بَيضًا على الفُطورِ.
Patient
marīḍ
مَرِيض
I visited a patient in the hospital.
Zurtu marīḍan fī al-mustashfā.
زُرتُ مَريضًا في المُستَشفَى.
Ground
arḍ
أَرض
The book fell on the ground.
Saqaṭa al-kitābu ʿalā al-ʾarḍ.
سَقَطَ الكِتَابُ عَلَى الأَرضِ.
Compensation
ʿiwaḍ
عِوَض
He paid him a large amount as compensation for the damages.
Dafaʿa lahu mablaghan kabīran ʿiwaḍan ʿan al-aḍrār.
دَفَعَ لَهُ مَبلَغًا كَبِيرًا عِوَضًا عَن الأَضرَارِ.
Loan
qarḍ
قَرْض
I took a loan from the bank to buy a house.
Akhadhtu qarḍan mina al-bank li-shirāʾ bayt.
أَخَذتُ قَرضًا مِنَ البَنكِ لِشِرَاءِ بَيتٍ.
Rejection
rafḍ
رَفْض
The request was completely rejected.
Qūbila alṭṭalabu biālrafḍi altāmm
قُوبِلَ الطَّلَبُ بِالرَّفضِ التَّامِّ.
Quick Quiz
Which of the following words starts with the Arabic letter 'ض' (Ḍād)?
A. دَجَاج
B. ضَوء
C. قَلَم
D. قَلب
What is the English translation of 'ضَبَاب'?
A. Rain
B. Fog
C. Sun
D. Wind
Which of these words does NOT contain the Arabic letter 'ض' (Ḍād) in the middle?
A. مَضرِب
B. فَضاء
C. ضَبْع
D. فَضَلات
Which of these words does NOT have the Arabic letter 'ض' (Ḍād) at the end?
A. ّأَرض
B. أَبيَض
C. ضِفدَع
D. قَرْض
- B. ضوء
- B. Fog
- C. ضبع
- C. ضفدع
Final word
The letter ض is a cultural icon in the Arabic language. It’s a letter that represents richness, strength, and depth. Don’t stress if it takes time to master — every learner struggles with it at first, and that’s totally normal.
So keep practicing, and pretty soon, the letter ض will feel just as easy as drinking water — or should we say… سهلٌ مثلَ شُربِ الماءِ!
Stay tuned for more letters in our Arabic Alphabet Series right here on the AlifBee Blog.
Maʿa as-salāmah!
