How to Pronounce kasrah

Meaning and Context

Kasrah (ـــِــ) is a fundamental diacritical mark, or harakat, in the Arabic orthographic system, appearing as a small diagonal stroke placed directly beneath a consonant letter. Its primary function is to denote the short vowel sound /i/, as in the English word "sit," thereby providing essential phonetic guidance for correct pronunciation and grammatical inflection. This critical feature of Arabic diacritics is indispensable for learners and native speakers alike, as it clarifies meaning, dictates grammatical case endings (iʿrāb), and shapes the morphology of countless Arabic words. The presence or absence of a kasrah can alter a word's meaning entirely, making it a cornerstone for understanding Quranic recitation (Tajweed), classical texts, and modern standard Arabic. Mastery of this Arabic vowel mark is a key step in achieving literacy and linguistic precision within the rich tapestry of the Arabic script and its intricate grammatical rules.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The term "kasrah" is the standard and most widely accepted transliteration from the Arabic word كَسْرَة. Alternative transliterations sometimes encountered include "kasra" (omitting the 'h'), which reflects a more direct phonetic spelling, and less commonly "kesrah." A frequent error, especially for beginners, is confusing the kasrah with its counterpart, the dammah (ــُــ), which denotes an /u/ sound and is placed above the letter. In handwriting or poor print, a poorly placed kasrah might be misread as part of the letter itself or as a sukūn (the diacritic indicating the absence of a vowel). It is also important to note the plural form, kasrāt (كَسْرَات), used when referring to multiple instances of the mark.

Example Sentences

In the word "كِتَاب" (kitāb, meaning "book"), the kasrah beneath the letter "ك" (kāf) provides the initial /i/ vowel sound.

A proficient teacher of Tajweed will emphasize how a kasrah affects the pronunciation of the letter "ل" (lām) in certain grammatical constructs.

Without the clarifying kasrah, the written form of many Arabic roots would be ambiguous and open to misinterpretation.

The student carefully placed a kasrah below the consonant to correctly conjugate the verb into the past tense.

One of the first lessons in Arabic phonetics involves distinguishing the sound produced by a fatḥah (/a/) from that produced by a kasrah (/i/).

Related Pronunciations

• How to pronounce tāʾ
• How to pronounce wāw
• How to pronounce Arabic: ح Ḥā
• How to pronounce yah
• How to pronounce kāʾ