Throat, tongue, teeth, lips, nasal passage and cavity; textual notes and pronunciation drills Read the bilingual lesson for Makhārij al-Ḥurūf — The Fifteen Articulation Points and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. Section Two: Articulation points
The book's first part, second section, is entitled Articulation Points. A makhraj is the place from which an Arabic letter's sound emerges. Knowing it helps prevent the merging of distinct sounds.
The author's list contains 15 articulation points: three in the throat; eight involving tongue, palate and teeth; two involving lips; one nasal passage; and one oral/pharyngeal cavity. The marginal notes discuss alternative counting conventions. This lesson follows both the main list and its notes.
2. How to locate a makhraj
To explore a makhraj, pronounce a consonant slowly in a closed (sukūn) position and notice where the airflow is narrowed, stopped or released. Compare أَقْ with أَكْ without making the sounds identical.
Makhraj identifies the sound's point of articulation; ṣifah refers to a manner or quality of the sound. The next section of the book treats qualities. For now concentrate on placement, not on force or exaggerated heaviness.
3. Five areas of articulation
The 15 points can be grouped for memory: throat (ʾ, h, ʿ, ḥ, gh, kh); tongue/palate/teeth (q, k, j, sh, non-madd y, ḍ, l, n, r, ṭ, d, t, ẓ, dh, th, ṣ, z, s); lips (f, b, m, non-madd w); nasal passage (ghunnah); and cavity (madd letters).
This is a map rather than a substitute for pronunciation. The next slides distinguish neighboring points. Familiar Urdu pronunciations are not always sufficient for precise Arabic articulation.
4. Point 1: Deep throat — hamzah and hāʾ
Aqṣā al-ḥalq is the deeper part of the throat. The book places hamzah (ء) and hāʾ (ه) here. A simple articulation drill compares أَ with هَ at a measured pace.
These two sounds are distinct. Hamzah should not be confused with the prolonged vowel represented by the madd alif; the latter belongs to the fifteenth, cavity-based category.
5. Point 2: Middle throat — ʿayn and ḥāʾ
Wasaṭ al-ḥalq is the middle of the throat. The book assigns ʿayn (ع) and ḥāʾ (ح) to it. They share a general region but are not the same sound. Compare عَ and حَ, then repeat with kasrah and ḍammah.
The goal is a distinct, recognizable articulation, not simply a louder or harsher sound. Careful listening and guided correction help when the difference is difficult to hear.
6. Point 3: Upper throat — ghayn and khāʾ
Adnā al-ḥalq is the throat region nearest the mouth. The book locates ghayn (غ) and khāʾ (خ) here. The three throat regions together account for six letters.
Practice غَ / خَ with all three short vowels. The two letters can have neighboring places of articulation while still differing in sound quality, which the following section on ṣifāt will help explain.
7. Point 4: Back of tongue — qāf
The book places qāf (ق) at the back of the tongue against the upper palate: aqṣā al-lisān. Identify the rear-tongue contact rather than trying to make the front of the tongue do the work.
Practice قَ، قِ، قُ، أَقْ. Qāf should not collapse into kāf; the book assigns kāf the neighboring, fifth point.
8. Point 5: Slightly forward — kāf
A little forward from qāf's point, toward the mouth, the back of the tongue meets the palate for kāf (ك). These are neighboring but distinct places.
Alternate أَقْ and أَكْ. The book calls qāf and kāf the lahawiyyah letters, referring to their rear-mouth articulation region. Do not interpret that grouping as their being one and the same sound.
9. Point 6: Middle of tongue — jīm, shīn, yāʾ
The middle tongue meeting the upper palate is assigned to jīm (ج), shīn (ش), and consonantal yāʾ (ي). The marginal discussion distinguishes a consonantal yāʾ from a yāʾ functioning as a madd letter.
Compare جَ، شَ، يَ, and then contrast a consonantal yāʾ with a long ī sound. The written letter can participate in different categories depending on pronunciation conditions.
10. Point 7: Side of tongue — ḍād
The ḥāfah is the side edge of the tongue. The text places ḍād (ض) against the area near the roots of the molars. It is not articulated exactly like the front-teeth dāl or ẓāʾ.
Practice ضَ، ضِ، ضُ, paying attention to the side of the tongue. Substituting z, ẓ or d for ḍ changes the letter. Precise performance benefits from live corrective listening.
11. Point 8: Neighboring lām, nūn and rāʾ
The main list groups lām (ل), nūn (ن), and rāʾ (ر) near the tip of the tongue and roots of the upper teeth. Their points are close, not identical as sounds.
Drill أَلْ، أَنْ، أَرْ slowly. Notice the different release patterns and, for nūn, the nasal component. The margin elaborates that the three points can be counted separately under another convention.
12. Marginal note: separating l, n and r
The marginal note records that some authorities count separate places for lām, nūn and rāʾ, ordered from lām to nūn to rāʾ, while others group these very nearby places. This affects the total count of makhārij.
A counting convention is not permission to merge sounds. The practical requirement is to maintain the distinct articulation of l, n and r even when a textbook groups their sites together.
13. Point 9: Tongue tip at upper incisor roots
The ninth point uses the tip of the tongue near the roots of the upper incisors for ṭāʾ (ط), dāl (د), and tāʾ (ت). The upper incisors are the front upper teeth; the “roots” mean their inner base region.
Practice طَ، دَ، تَ and the corresponding closed forms. Sharing a general articulation region does not erase the distinctive sound qualities, particularly the contrast between ṭāʾ and the other two.
14. Point 10: Edge of upper incisors — ẓ, dh, th
At the tenth point the tongue tip approaches the edges of the upper front teeth for ẓāʾ (ظ), dhāl (ذ), and thāʾ (ث). This differs from point nine, where the contact is nearer the teeth's roots.
Practice ظَ، ذَ، ثَ. Do not automatically substitute z for ẓ or s for th. These may be familiar substitutions in other languages but are not the distinct Arabic articulations described here.
15. Point 11: Near lower incisors — ṣ, z, s
The book describes the eleventh point as the tongue tip by the lower incisor edge, with the upper incisors involved. The letters are ṣād (ص), zāy (ز), and sīn (س).
Compare صَ، زَ، سَ. They share a region but differ in essential qualities; in particular, ṣād cannot be replaced with an ordinary sīn. The following chapter will explain the qualities in more detail.
16. Distinguish the three dental groups
Three groups must remain distinct: point 9: ط د ت near upper incisor roots; point 10: ظ ذ ث near the upper incisor edges; point 11: ص ز س near the lower incisor edges.
Alternate تَ / ثَ / سَ, then طَ / ظَ / صَ. These are pronunciation drills, not Qur'anic quotations. Seek guided audio correction if the contrasts remain unclear.
17. Point 12: Lower lip and upper incisors — fāʾ
For fāʾ (ف), the book names the lower lip and the edge of the upper front teeth. This is not a complete closure of both lips; that belongs to the next point.
Practice فَ، فِ، فُ، أَفْ. Keep the tongue out of the contact. If both lips are pressed together, the sound will not be an accurately articulated fāʾ.
18. Point 13: Both lips — b, m, consonantal w
The thirteenth point concerns both lips and the letters bāʾ (ب), mīm (م), and consonantal wāw (و). B involves lip closure and release; m involves lip closure with a possible nasal component; consonantal w involves rounded, approximated lips.
Drill بَ، مَ، وَ. Keep consonantal وَ distinct from the long vowel ـُو. The book's note explicitly separates madd and non-madd forms of wāw and yāʾ.
19. Point 14: Nasal passage and ghunnah
The khayshūm is the inner nasal passage. The author's fourteenth point associates it with ghunnah, mentioning hidden nūn and a form of incomplete assimilation involving mīm. Ghunnah is a nasal resonance, not an additional written Arabic letter.
Notice the nasal component while practicing nūn or mīm. Do not assume every context of these letters has the same duration or nasal prominence; the relevant rules will be studied in later lessons.
20. Ghunnah: letter base versus nasal quality
A key marginal question is: if the underlying articulation of nūn is lingual and that of mīm is labial, why is their ghunnah placed at the nasal passage? The note distinguishes the letters' base articulation from the particularly audible nasal quality in relevant recitational states.
Retain both facts: nūn has a tongue-related point and mīm a lip-related point, while ghunnah involves nasal resonance. The margin cites and compares scholarly wordings on this distinction.
21. Point 15: The cavity and madd letters
The fifteenth point, jawf, refers to the open oral/pharyngeal cavity. It is assigned to the madd letters: alif following fatḥah; sākin wāw following ḍammah; and sākin yāʾ following kasrah.
Practice the elongated vowels ـَا، ـُو، ـِي. Their sound is not formed by one fixed tongue-to-teeth closure. The author's notes therefore call madd alif jawfī / hawāʾī and distinguish it from hamzah.
22. Hamzah, alif, wāw and yāʾ
The margin draws a crucial distinction: hamzah belongs to point one, whereas madd alif belongs to the cavity. Consonantal wāw is labial and consonantal yāʾ is mid-tongue; in their madd conditions both are treated as cavity sounds.
Do not classify the point merely by the printed letter. Check whether the madd conditions hold. The book cites Ibn al-Jazarī's verse to describe the airy extension of the madd sounds.
23. Why some count 15 and others 17
The main text numbers 15 makhārij. The marginal discussion mentions that counting neighboring points of lām, nūn and rāʾ separately leads to a count of 17. This reflects different degrees of grouping in the enumeration.
It would misreport the source to call its numbered list a 17-point list, but it would also misreport the margin to claim that no alternative enumeration exists. Accurate attribution is 15 in the text, alternative counting in the notes.
24. Scholarly discussion of nasalization
The extensive notes compare expressions from Ibn al-Jazarī, al-Sakhāwī and other specialists on where nasal resonance is heard versus where the underlying nūn or mīm is articulated. Nasal contribution can become prominent in ikhfāʾ and idghām, but that does not imply that every audible feature is a new written consonant.
In some statements the point of ghunnah is the more precise expression than the basic point of the letter. Practical takeaway: do not replace nasal resonance with a purely oral sound, but also do not forget nūn's and mīm's ordinary articulatory bases.
25. Practice and recap: all 15 points
Review the author's fifteen positions in order: 1 ء ه; 2 ع ح; 3 غ خ; 4 ق; 5 ك; 6 ج ش ي; 7 ض; 8 ل ن ر; 9 ط د ت; 10 ظ ذ ث; 11 ص ز س; 12 ف; 13 ب م و; 14 ghunnah; 15 madd letters. Yāʾ and wāw can be consonantal at their respective points or madd sounds at the cavity point.
Complete three drills: identify the six throat letters; distinguish q/k and the three dental groups; identify nasal resonance versus long vowels. The next section discusses letter qualities (ṣifāt), which explain how adjacent articulations yield distinct sounds.
Practice questions
Question 1
How many articulation points are numbered in the book’s main list?
Question 2
What is a makhraj?
- Only the written shape
- Place of articulation
- Topic of a verse
- Only a letter’s meaning
Question 3
Which pair comes from the deep throat?
- ʿAyn and ḥāʾ
- Ghayn and khāʾ
- Hamzah and hāʾ
- Bāʾ and mīm
Question 4
Where are ʿayn and ḥāʾ articulated?
- Deep throat
- Near throat
- Both lips
- Middle throat
Question 5
Where do ghayn and khāʾ originate?
- Nearer throat
- Middle throat
- Deep throat
- Nasal passage
Question 6
What is correct about qāf and kāf?
- Both emerge only from the lips
- Qāf is slightly farther back than kāf
- They are the same sound
- Kāf emerges from the middle throat
Question 7
What collective name does the book also give to qāf and kāf?
- Madd letters
- Ghunnah letters
- Lahawiyyah letters
- Shafawiyyah letters
Question 8
Which letters does the book place at the middle of the tongue?
- Ṭāʾ, dāl, tāʾ
- Ẓāʾ, dhāl, thāʾ
- Ṣād, zāy, sīn
- Jīm, shīn, yāʾ
Question 9
Where does the book place ḍād?
- Side of tongue near molar roots
- Lower lip and upper teeth
- Middle throat
- Both lips
Question 10
How does the main list treat lām, nūn and rāʾ?
- As the three throat points
- As a grouped neighboring point
- Only as cavity letters
- As a single lip letter
Question 11
Which letters use the tongue tip near upper incisor roots?
- Ẓāʾ, dhāl, thāʾ
- Ṣād, zāy, sīn
- Ṭāʾ, dāl, tāʾ
- Jīm, shīn, yāʾ
Question 12
Which group is articulated near upper incisor edges?
- Ṭāʾ, dāl, tāʾ
- Ṣād, zāy, sīn
- Bāʾ, mīm, wāw
- Ẓāʾ, dhāl, thāʾ
Question 13
Which group relates to the lower incisor edge?
- Ṣād, zāy, sīn
- Ẓāʾ, dhāl, thāʾ
- Ṭāʾ, dāl, tāʾ
- Hamzah, hāʾ
Question 14
Where is fāʾ articulated?
- Complete closure of both lips
- Lower lip against upper incisors
- Side of tongue
- Deep throat
Question 15
Which set belongs to the both-lips articulation point?
- ʿAyn, ḥāʾ, ghayn
- Qāf, kāf, ḍād
- B, m and consonantal w
- Ṭāʾ, ẓāʾ, ṣād
Question 16
What is associated with the khayshūm?
- Qāf articulation
- Only madd alif duration
- Side of tongue for ḍād
- Nasal resonance (ghunnah)
Question 17
Which statement about ghunnah is accurate?
- It is a nasal acoustic quality
- It is an extra written Arabic letter
- Nūn has no tongue articulation
- Mīm does not use the lips
Question 18
Which sounds belong to point fifteen?
- Lahawiyyah letters
- Madd letters
- Only ṭāʾ and ẓāʾ
- Only fāʾ
Question 19
What condition makes wāw a madd letter?
- Fatḥah on wāw
- Sukūn on wāw preceded by kasrah
- Sukūn on wāw preceded by ḍammah
- Every wāw is a madd letter
Question 20
What is required for madd yāʾ?
- Moving yāʾ after fatḥah
- Every yāʾ is madd
- Yāʾ is a throat sound
- Sākin yāʾ after kasrah
Question 21
How is madd alif different from hamzah?
- Madd alif is cavity-based, hamzah throat-based
- They are always the same sound
- Hamzah comes only from lips
- Madd alif is lahawiyyah
Question 22
Where does consonantal yāʾ belong?
- Deep throat
- Middle tongue
- Both lips
- Nasal passage
Question 23
Where does consonantal wāw belong?
- Middle throat
- Side of tongue
- Both lips
- Lower incisors
Question 24
Why does a count of 17 appear in the notes?
- Adding two new alphabet letters
- Omitting two madd letters
- Removing ghunnah
- Counting neighboring l, n and r points separately
Question 25
How many regions of the throat does the book list?
Question 26
Why should ṭāʾ and ẓāʾ not be assigned the same described contact?
- Ẓ comes from lips
- Ṭ relates to incisor roots, ẓ to their edges
- Ṭ comes from the nasal passage
- Both are cavity madd letters
Question 27
Which drill helps test a point-of-articulation contrast?
- Repeating b unchanged
- Only counting the letters
- Comparing أَقْ and أَكْ
- Only giving a meaning
Question 28
What is the central caution from the marginal discussion of ghunnah?
- Ghunnah has a separate written letter
- Nūn is basically a cavity letter
- Every letter is nasal
- Nasal resonance and base nūn/mīm points are distinct aspects
Question 29
What question is answered by makhraj rather than ṣifah?
- Where does the sound emerge?
- What are all its sound qualities?
- Which section of the sūrah?
- What is its exegesis?
Question 30
What is the next section of the book?
- Supplications
- Letter qualities (ṣifāt)
- Zakat
- Rules of waqf
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