Arabic Alphabet — Group 2
Letters د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض — non-connecting and emphatic letters
Can recognize and write letters د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض including emphatics
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
دَرْس
lesson
شَمْس
sun
صَباح
morning
رُز
rice
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
الحروف: د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض
This group includes non-connecting letters (د ذ ر ز) — they only connect to the right, never to the left. After them, the next letter starts in initial form.
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| د | dāl | d |
| ذ | dhāl | th (as in 'this') |
| ص | ṣād | emphatic s |
| ض | ḍād | emphatic d |
Emphatic letters (ص ض) are pronounced with the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth, creating a "heavier" sound. Arabic is called لغة الضاد (language of ḍād) because ض is unique to Arabic.
Common Error Patterns
Connected a non-connecting letter to the following letter
Remember: د ذ ر ز never connect to the left
Confused emphatic and plain pairs (ص/س, ض/د)
Practice hearing and producing the emphatic 'heavier' sound
دَرْس
lesson
dars — د is non-connecting, so ر starts fresh after it.
شَمْس
sun
shams — ش sounds like English 'sh'. This is a 'solar letter' for ال rules.
صَباح
morning
ṣabāḥ — ص is emphatic s, deeper than س. Used in صباح الخير (good morning).
رُز
rice
ruzz — ر is non-connecting and trilled, similar to Spanish/Italian r.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Put it into practice
Try a free exercise from the courseFrequently asked questions
- When is الحروف العربية - المجموعة الثانية used?
- This group includes non-connecting letters (د ذ ر ز) — they only connect to the right, never to the left. After them, the next letter starts in initial form.
- How is الحروف العربية - المجموعة الثانية formed?
- Emphatic letters (ص ض) are pronounced with the tongue pressed against the roof of the mouth, creating a "heavier" sound. Arabic is called لغة الضاد (language of ḍād) because ض is unique to Arabic.
- What are common mistakes with الحروف العربية - المجموعة الثانية?
- Learners fail to distinguish emphatic (ص/ض) from plain (س/د). Non-connecting letters cause word-break errors. 🇬🇧 English: No emphatic consonants in English — ص sounds like 's' and ض like 'd' to untrained ears. 🇩🇪 German: Same issue — German has no emphatic consonants. ذ (voiced th) also absent. 🇷🇺 Russian: Russian ш is close to ش, but emphatics ص/ض have no Russian equivalent.