Arabic Letter Dhaal (ذ)

In Arabic, letters change shape based on their position. However, ذ is part of a special club. We call these the "naughty" or "stubborn" letters. There are six of them in total. These letters connect to the one before them. They never connect to the one after them. This creates a small visual gap in the middle of a word. Do not let this gap fool you. The word is still one single unit. When you see ذ, look for the dot. Without the dot, it becomes a د (d sound). The sound is produced by placing your tongue between your teeth. Gently blow air while vibrating your vocal cords. It is not a sharp "z" sound. It is not a hard "d" sound. It is right in the middle. If you can say "the," you can say ذ. It is that simple.

1. 1Writing ذ is a two-step process. You will find it very satisfying once you get the rhythm down.
2. 2Start slightly above the line. Draw a short, curved diagonal line down to the baseline.
3. 3Once you hit the baseline, kick the pen out to the right (or left, depending on your stroke direction) to create a flat base. It should look like a reclined chair.
4. 4Lift your pen and place a single, clear dot directly above the corner.
5. 5Because it is a non-connector, it only has two actual shapes:
6. 6Isolated/Initial: It stands alone or starts a word. It looks like ذ. It does not touch the next letter.
7. 7Medial/Final: It follows another letter. It attaches with a small connecting tail from the right: ـذ. It still refuses to touch anything to its left.

You will use ذ in many essential everyday words. It appears in demonstrative pronouns like هذا (this). You will use it when talking about your identity or pointing things out. It shows up in the word for gold, ذهب. Imagine you are at a gold souk in Dubai. You will see this letter everywhere! It is also in the word for taste, ذوق. If you are complimenting a friend's outfit or a chef's meal, you are using ذ. It is a letter of sophistication. You will also find it in the word for memory, ذكرى. In a job interview, you might use it to talk about your ذكاء (intelligence). It is a high-frequency letter that pops up in both formal and informal settings.

Do not use ذ when you want a sharp "z" sound. That job belongs to the letter ز (Zay). For example, the word for rice is أرز (aruzz), not أرذ. Also, do not use it for the hard "d" sound. That is for د (Daal). If you are ordering a chicken (دجاج), don't use a ذ or you might confuse the waiter. Another tricky spot is the voiceless "th" sound. In English, "think" and "this" both use "th." In Arabic, they are different. Use ث (Thaa) for the "think" sound. Use ذ only for the buzzy "this" sound. Using the wrong one is like wearing socks with sandals. People will understand you, but it just looks (and sounds) a bit off.

One common mistake is forgetting the dot. This is the most frequent error for beginners. If you forget the dot, ذ (th) becomes د (d). This can change the meaning of a word entirely. It is like the difference between "bad" and "bat" in English. Another mistake is trying to force a connection to the left. Your brain will want to connect all the letters in a word. You must resist the urge! Let ذ be a loner. If you connect it to the next letter, it might look like a ن (Noon) or a ل (Laam). Native speakers sometimes swap ذ for ز or د in local dialects. For example, in Cairo, هذا often sounds like "hada" or "haza." However, in written Modern Standard Arabic, you must stay strict. Stick to the rules to keep your writing clear.

Let’s compare ذ with its lookalikes.

• ذ vs د: Both have the same body. ذ has a dot; د is bald.
• ذ vs ز: Both have a dot. Both are non-connectors. But ز is tall and curvy like a banana. ذ is short and sits like a chair.
• ذ vs ث: Both are "th" sounds. ذ is voiced (buzzy). ث is unvoiced (breathy). ث has three dots; ذ has only one.

Think of ذ as the middle ground. It shares a shape with one, a dot with another, and a sound category with a third. It is the ultimate hybrid letter.