Kha
خArabicQuick Mnemonic
“Kha with a cap”
Drawing the isolated form of any letter of this group starts with a part that looks like the English number 7 with an extra extension to the right side.
More mnemonics →About the Arabic Letter خ Kha
Kha is a Moon Letter, and it has the same basic shape as Hha but with a dot on top.
You may also see this letter spelled as 7'aa' or Khaa'.
Kha is also one of the letters that doesn't have a counterpart in English. Non-Arabic speakers usually mispronounce it with a sound similar to the English letter K, but K is the counterpart of a different Arabic letter called Kaf ( ك ).
Kha can be heard in the Spanish "J" in the name "Juan". It also exists in German, as in the German pronunciation of the "ch" of "Zurich". Another close example is the hard 'ch' sound in Loch Ness.
Look-alikes
Jeem (ج), Hha (ح), and Kha (خ) are twin sisters or shape-mates.
How to Write the Arabic Letter خ Kha
Most Arabic letters change shape depending on where they appear in a word. Kha connects on both sides.
Example Arabic Words with خ Kha (tap to hear)
خ Kha with Tashkeel
Arabic vowels are written as small marks above or below the letter. Tap to hear Kha with each short vowel.
Fatha (a)
Short "a" sound
Damma (u)
Short "u" sound
Kasra (i)
Short "i" sound
Kha is a Moon Letter
Kha is a moon letterMoon letters keep the ل in ال (al-) — both sounds are pronounced clearly. (حرف قمري). When the definite article ال (al-) comes before Kha, both letters are pronounced clearly — al-kh (like Bach)...The ل keeps its sound.
Key Takeaways: Arabic Letter Kha
- • Kha is written خ and sounds like /kh (like Bach)/
- • ArabicQuick mnemonic: think of a Kha with a cap to remember its shape
- • It is a moon letter and connects on both sides
- • It has four forms: isolated, initial, medial, and final