Sun and Moon Letters in Arabic — Simply Explained

Every one of the 28 Arabic letters is classified as either a sun letter (حرف شمسي) or a moon letter (حرف قمري). If you've ever wondered why "the sun" in Arabic sounds like ash-shams instead of al-shams, this is why.

The definite article ال (al-)

Before we get to sun and moon letters, a quick note on the Arabic definite article.

In English, "the" never changes. In Arabic, the definite article is ال — but it does change depending on the first letter of the word it precedes. That's where sun and moon letters come in.

Moon letters: ال stays intact

When the definite article comes before a moon letter, both letters are pronounced clearly.

ال + قمر (moon) → القمر → pronounced al-qamar

The ل keeps its sound. You hear a clear "al" at the start.

The 14 moon letters are:

أ، ب، ج، ح، خ، ع، غ، ف، ق، ك، م، ه، و، ي

A useful way to remember: the word qamar (قمر) itself starts with Qaf — a moon letter.

Sun letters: the ل assimilates

When the definite article comes before a sun letter, the ل disappears — or more precisely, it assimilates. The first letter of the word doubles instead.

ال + شمس (sun) → الشمس → pronounced ash-shams, not al-shams

The ل is still written, but it is not pronounced separately. The Sheen doubles to compensate.

The 14 sun letters are:

ت، ث، د، ذ، ر، ز، س، ش، ص، ض، ط، ظ، ل، ن

Notice that all 14 are letters whose articulation point (where you place your tongue in your mouth) is similar to the ل sound. That's why the assimilation happens — it's a natural feature of Arabic phonology, not an arbitrary rule.

Practical examples

| Arabic | Pronunciation | Meaning | |--------|--------------|---------| | الكتاب | al-kitaab | the book (Kaf = moon) | | القلم | al-qalam | the pen (Qaf = moon) | | الشمس | ash-shams | the sun (Sheen = sun) | | النور | an-noor | the light (Noon = sun) | | الدرس | ad-dars | the lesson (Dal = sun) | | الرجل | ar-rajul | the man (Ra = sun) |

A memory trick

Both "sun" and "shams" (شمس) start with Sheen — a sun letter. The sun assimilates the ل just as it overpowers everything around it.

"Moon" and "qamar" (قمر) start with Qaf — a moon letter. The moon reflects quietly without overpowering the ل.

Does this matter for beginners?

For reading — not immediately. You'll recognise the written words fine without worrying about this rule.

For listening and speaking — yes, sooner than you think. Native speakers never say al-shams. If you do, it will sound noticeably foreign. Getting this right early builds good habits.

Every letter page on ArabicQuick tells you whether that letter is a sun or moon letter, with a clear explanation of how it affects pronunciation. You'll absorb the pattern naturally as you work through the course.

Browse all 28 letters →