Daad
ضArabicQuick Mnemonic
“Dragon”
Saad and Daad look like the handle of a saber sword or a spoon.
More mnemonics →About the Arabic Letter ض Daad
Daad is a Sun Letter, and it follows the same basic shape as Saad but with a dot on top.
Daad is the sound-mate of the letter Dal ( د ) and makes a gruff d sound that is not really found in English.
To pronounce Daad correctly, you must press your tongue against your upper gum area, right where the gum meets your upper teeth, and then make a d sound.
You may also see this letter spelled as dad. Daad is connectable to both sides.
Look-alikes
Saad ( ص ) and Daad ( ض ) are shape-mates. And they also look a bit like the previous two letters, Seen ( س ) and Sheen ( ش ).
How to Write the Arabic Letter ض Daad
Most Arabic letters change shape depending on where they appear in a word. Daad connects on both sides.
Example Arabic Words with ض Daad (tap to hear)
ض Daad with Tashkeel
Arabic vowels are written as small marks above or below the letter. Tap to hear Daad with each short vowel.
Fatha (a)
Short "a" sound
Damma (u)
Short "u" sound
Kasra (i)
Short "i" sound
Daad is a Sun Letter
Daad is a sun letterSun letters absorb the ل in ال (al-) — the letter's own sound doubles instead. (حرف شمسي). When the definite article ال (al-) comes before Daad, the ل assimilates and is not pronounced separately — the Daad sound doubles instead. For example, ال + ض... is pronounced as aḍ-ḍ (emphatic d)...
Key Takeaways: Arabic Letter Daad
- • Daad is written ض and sounds like /ḍ (emphatic d)/
- • ArabicQuick mnemonic: think of a Dragon to remember its shape
- • It is a sun letter and connects on both sides
- • It has four forms: isolated, initial, medial, and final