Qaf
قArabicQuick Mnemonic
“Queen's crown”
Fa looks like a 9 lying on its side or a long-tailed fat cat (with 9 lives). Imagine it´s a phat cat with a cough (Qaf).
More mnemonics →About the Arabic Letter ق Qaf
Qaf is a Moon Letter which follows the same basic shape of Fa but has an additional dot.
Qaf is one of the letters that doesn't really have a counterpart in English. It can actually be pronounced like a k with the tongue farther back.
Qaf is connectable to both sides.
You may also see this letter spelled as Qaaf.
Look-alikes
Qaf ( ق ) is the shape-mate of the previous letter Fa ( ف ). They might look a bit different in the Isolated form — Fa has a straight base, but Qaf has a circular base.
But they are very similar in the connected forms, especially the Initial and Medial forms. The difference is only in the number of dots.
How to Write the Arabic Letter ق Qaf
Most Arabic letters change shape depending on where they appear in a word. Qaf connects on both sides.
Example Arabic Words with ق Qaf (tap to hear)
ق Qaf with Tashkeel
Arabic vowels are written as small marks above or below the letter. Tap to hear Qaf with each short vowel.
Fatha (a)
Short "a" sound
Damma (u)
Short "u" sound
Kasra (i)
Short "i" sound
Qaf is a Moon Letter
Qaf 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 Qaf, both letters are pronounced clearly — al-q (deep, from throat)...The ل keeps its sound.
Key Takeaways: Arabic Letter Qaf
- • Qaf is written ق and sounds like /q (deep, from throat)/
- • ArabicQuick mnemonic: think of a Queen's crown to remember its shape
- • It is a moon letter and connects on both sides
- • It has four forms: isolated, initial, medial, and final