How to Pronounce fāʾ

Meaning and Context

The Arabic letter fāʾ (ف) is the twentieth letter of the Arabic alphabet, representing the voiceless labiodental fricative sound /f/, as in the English word "fair." It is one of the six letters known as al-ḥurūf al-shafawiyyah (the labial letters), articulated using the lower lip and upper teeth. In the Abjad numeral system, fāʾ holds a historical value of 80. Within the science of Tajweed, the rules of Quranic recitation, fāʾ is classified as a shafawi (labial) letter, which influences its pronunciation, particularly regarding rules of ikhfa (concealment) and idgham (assimilation). The letter's distinct shape, featuring a single dot above it, connects fluidly from both right and left, making it a foundational character in Arabic calligraphy and script. Its proper articulation is essential for clear Arabic pronunciation and is a critical component in learning the Arabic alphabet for students of the language, classical Quranic studies, and Islamic sciences.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The primary transliteration of this letter into the Latin alphabet is fāʾ, employing the letter f with a macron (ā) to indicate the long vowel and a hamza (ʾ) to denote the glottal stop at the end of the classical Arabic name. Common alternative transliterations include fa (without diacritics), fā, and faa. A frequent error, especially in informal online contexts, is the omission of diacritics, leading to spellings like "fa" or even "pha," which incorrectly suggests a different phonetic value. The letter itself is sometimes confused with qāf (ق), which has two dots above it, or with the initial form of ghayn (غ), though their sounds and dot configurations are distinct. In handwriting, a poorly placed single dot can mistakenly transform a fāʾ into a qāf or vice versa, a critical error that changes the meaning of a word entirely.

Example Sentences

When learning the Arabic script, students must practice the isolated, initial, medial, and final forms of fāʾ to write words like "kitāb" (book) correctly.

The Quranic reciter paid meticulous attention to the ikhfa rule as it applied to the fāʾ when followed by a noon saakinah.

In the elegant Thuluth script, the sweeping curve of the fāʾ is a testament to the artistry of Arabic calligraphy.

A common vocabulary word containing this letter is "fātiḥah," the name of the opening chapter of the Holy Quran.

The numerical value (abjad) of fāʾ, which is 80, is sometimes seen in historical dates or numerological contexts within classical texts.

Related Pronunciations

• How to pronounce Arabic: ك Kāf
• How to pronounce ṭāʾ
• How to pronounce tah
• How to pronounce Arabic script: hamzah
• How to pronounce ẓah