Arabic Letter Dhal for Beginners: Th as in This, Non-Connector

Dhal is the ninth letter of the Arabic alphabet.

It is written like this:

ذ

Dhal uses Dal’s body plus one dot above. The sound is the voiced th in English this, not the soft th in think.

It is also a non-connector. Learn sound, dot, and break together.

What Does Dhal Look Like?

Take Dal. Add one dot on top. That is Dhal.

If the dot disappears, you are back to Dal. Keep the dot clear in small print.

ذ

Play it once and look at ذ. Play it again. Say the sound while you are still looking at the letter.

How Dhal Sounds

Dhal is voiced th as in this, that, other.

Tongue near the teeth. Voice on. Buzz gently.

Do not use think-th (that was Tha ث). Do not harden it into a plain d (that is Dal).

Say the this-th. Look at ذ. Repeat.

The Trap: Dhal vs Dal vs Tha

د = Dal = d = no dot
ذ = Dhal = this-th = one dot
ث = Tha = think-th = boat with three dots

English “th” spelling covers both ث and ذ. Arabic does not. Train two different letters.

And remember: Dhal does not connect forward, same as Dal.

Does Dhal Connect?

Dhal is a non-connector. It can join from the letter on its right, but it does not connect to the letter after it. The next letter starts a fresh shape.

The non-connectors you will meet in this series are: ا د ذ ر ز و. Dhal belongs in that group.

After Dhal, restart the next letter. Say “dot, this-th, break” as a three-part checklist.

Dhal at the Start, Middle, and End

Isolated (standing alone): ذ

Use this form when you practise the letter by itself.

At the start (does not join left): ذ

Dhal begins the word, then the next letter starts clean. No left-hand joining stroke.

After a connecting letter (joins from the right only): ـذ

You may see a short link from the previous letter into Dhal. After Dhal, the following letter restarts.

At the end (joins from the right): ـذ

Dhal can finish a connected group from the right. It still will not reach left into another letter.

Learn the shapes. Then train your eye to find Dhal wherever it sits in a word.

How to Write Dhal (Right to Left)

1. Draw the Dal-like body.
2. Add one dot above.
3. Stop without joining left into the next letter.

Write ذ five times. Alternate with د so your eye feels the dot switch.

Dhal with Short Vowels

Small marks sit above or below the letter and tell you which short vowel to say. A beginner copy of the Quran usually prints them, which is why they matter here.

The three you meet first are the short a, the short i, and the short u. Dhal uses the same marks on this consonant.

Dhal with Fatha

ذَ

Sound: dha (short a).

Look at ذَ. Say dha. Pause. Say it again.

Dhal with Kasra

ذِ

Sound: dhi (short i).

Look at ذِ. Say dhi.

Dhal with Damma

ذُ

Sound: dhu (short u).

Look at ذُ. Say dhu.

Dhal with Sukoon

ذْ

Sukoon means no vowel after Dhal. Say the plain this-th and stop.

You will meet this mark more often once letters join into syllables. For now, know that it takes the vowel away after Dhal.

Quick Sound Drill

Read these slowly. Listen first when audio is there. Then repeat.

ذَ   dha

ذِ   dhi

ذُ   dhu

Then all three:

ذَ ، ذِ ، ذُ

dha, dhi, dhu

Read them once more with your eyes on ذَ ذِ ذُ.

A Word You Can Spot

ذَهَب relates to gold / going in different contexts you will meet later. For now, hunt the opening Dhal.

Confirm the dot. Say dha. Notice the non-join after Dhal if another letter follows in a longer word.

Eye Practice: This-Th Only

Scan a page for Dal-shaped letters. Sort them into dotted and undotted.

Dotted ones are Dhal. Say this-th with their vowels.

If you accidentally say think-th, tap the table once and correct to this-th. Immediate correction builds the habit.

Voicing Check for Dhal

Fingers on throat. Say this-th. Feel buzz. That buzz belongs with ذ.

Say think-th. Less buzz / voiceless. That belongs with ث.

Do the finger check whenever you catch yourself unsure. It is a physical referee.

Shape + Sound Bundle

Every Dhal rep should include three beats: see dot, feel buzz, break after letter. Missing any beat becomes a bad habit under speed.

Minimal Pairs Out Loud

Point at د and say d. Point at ذ and say this-th. Ten pairs. No writing required. Eyes and mouth only.

Non-Connector Reminder Sticky

Put a note on your desk: “ذ breaks.” When you write homework words, glance at the note before you join onward by mistake.

Small-Print Dot Recovery

If a Dal-shaped letter looks maybe-dotted, zoom or rewrite. Do not invent confidence. Quran reading rewards careful eyes more than brave guesses.

Buzz Referee Daily

Ten seconds: throat fingers, this-th on ذ, think-th on ث. Daily. Prevents overnight merge.

Dot-On-Dal Body

Describe Dhal in one phrase: “Dal body, top dot, this-th, breaks.” Say the phrase before drills.

Break Call

Same as Dal: whisper “break” after Dhal while reading one short line.

Guess Ban

If the dot is unclear, do not guess Dal vs Dhal. Zoom or skip to the next clear letter and return later. Guess training is anti-skill.

Pair Strip

Write دذدذدذ as a strip. Point and name. Forty seconds. Done.

Workshop: Voiced Dental Strip

Write a strip: ث ذ ث ذ. For Tha, keep air and no buzz. For Dhal, keep buzz. Alternate carefully for ninety seconds.

Then write د ذ د ذ and switch between d and this-th. Two strips, two skills: th-quality and Dal-body identity.

Break + Dot Contract

Dhal failures usually come from dropping the dot or joining forward. Make a contract: no Dhal rep counts unless you check both.

Unclear Print Protocol

Zoom, rewrite, or skip. Do not award yourself a correct guess. Beginner reading is built on clear checks.

Audio Micro-Set

If audio exists, do three listen-copy cycles on ذَ only, then stop. Small sets protect quality.

Seven-Day Dhal Micro-Plan

Day 1: Dal body + dot. Day 2: this-th buzz check. Day 3: ث vs ذ. Day 4: break whisper on a line. Day 5: د vs ذ strip. Day 6: audio micro-set. Day 7: unclear-print protocol practice with zoom.

Keep each day short. Dhal improves with clean repeats, not long strain.

Clinic: Guessing

If you guessed Dal/Dhal twice today, your next drill is forced zoom on every Dal-shaped letter for one line. Guessing is the disease. Zoom is the medicine.

More Mouth Detail

Keep the tongue near the teeth edge for Dhal. If the tongue pulls back too far, the this-th quality fades toward a odd d.

Final Dhal Check

Before you leave this letter, confirm four things on one example: Dal body, top dot, this-th buzz, forward break. If all four are present, Dhal is ready enough to move on.

Why Dhal Matters for Quran Reading

Dhal is easy to under-train because English th feels familiar. Familiar is dangerous here, because English hides two Arabic letters under one spelling.

Clean Dhal also reinforces the non-connector group with Dal.

Common Mistakes with Dhal

1. Using think-th
That belongs to ث.

2. Dropping the dot
Then you wrote Dal.

3. Joining to the next letter
Non-connector rule still applies.

4. Hardening into d
Keep the dental th quality.

5. Mixing later with emphatic Zaa
ظ is a different heavy letter. Learn Dhal cleanly first.

How to Practise for Two Minutes

1. Look at ذ and say this-th.
2. Point to the top dot.
3. Drill ذَ ذِ ذُ.
4. Flip between د and ذ.
5. Write five Dhal letters with a forced break after each.
6. Find Dhal in a Quran line.

Where This Fits in Your Path

You came from Dal. Dhal is next in the alphabet line. After Dhal comes Ra (ر). Later you spend more time on the short vowels, the stop mark, joining, and short words from the Quran.

The full order, from the first letter to short chapters, is in how to learn to read the Quran. If you want the audio and the steps set for you, the interactive 30-day course starts from no Arabic at all.

What to Remember

Dhal is written ذ.

Sound: th as in this.

Mark: one dot above Dal’s shape.

Rule: non-connector.

With vowels: ذَ ذِ ذُ.

Next letter after this: Ra (ر).

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