س ش ص ض ط ظ: teeth, loops and the heavy letters

Three teeth: س and ش

س (sīn, s) is three small teeth followed by a bowl. ش (shīn, sh) is the same with three dots above, arranged like the dots of ث: two side by side, one on top. At the start of a word the bowl goes and the teeth stay: ﺳ, ﺷ.

Three small teeth from right to left, then the bowl, in one stroke.

The body of س, then three dots above: two side by side, one on top.

س at the start of a word: only the three teeth, joining on the left.

ش at the start of a word: the three teeth and the three dots.

Loops: ص ض and ط ظ

ص (ṣād) is a flat closed loop, a small tooth, then a bowl; ض (ḍād) adds one dot above. ط (ṭāʾ) is the same flat loop with a tall upright stroke on its left; ظ (ẓāʾ) adds a dot. For ط and ظ, write the loop first and the upright stroke last. They keep one shape in every position: only the joining line changes.

A flat loop closed from right to left, a small tooth, then the bowl; one stroke.

The body of ص, then one dot above the loop.

First the flat loop on the line, then the upright stroke from the top down to it.

ط with one dot to the right of the upright stroke.

ص at the start of a word: the loop and the small tooth, no bowl.

ض at the start of a word: the same, with the dot above.

Heavy and light

ص ض ط ظ are the four “heavy” (emphatic) letters. Say s, d, t or th as usual, but raise the back of your tongue toward the roof of your mouth at the same time: the sound gets deeper, and the vowels next to it sound darker – the a of صَبَاح (ṣabāḥ) leans toward the a of father. Each heavy letter has a light partner: س/ص, د/ض, ت/ط, ذ/ظ. In the Latin spelling the dot under the letter marks the heavy one: ṣ ḍ ṭ ẓ.

To read a new word, go letter by letter from the right, add each vowel, then say it as one word: ن + fatḥa, ش + kasra + ي, ط – na-shī-ṭ, نَشِيط (nashīṭ, active).

صَبَاح وَشَايmorning and tea

طَبِيب وَضَابِطa doctor and an officer