Fourth Letter of the Arabic Alphabet ث: Arabic letter Thaa

Fourth Letter of the Arabic Alphabet ث

The Arabic letter Thaa (ث) is the fourth letter in the Arabic alphabet. In this post, we will explain the basics of this letter in simple English.

How to Pronounce Fourth Letter of the Arabic Alphabet ث

The letter Thaa is pronounced like the “th” sound in think or thick. It’s a soft sound that comes from placing your tongue between your teeth and letting the air pass through. This is different from the “th” in this, which is a harder sound.

Different Forms of Thaa

Like all Arabic letters, Thaa changes its shape depending on where it is in a word. Here are the four different forms:

finalmedialinitialisolated
ـﺐـﺒـﺑـ
  • Isolated (by itself): ث
  • Initial (at the beginning of a word): ثـ
  • Medial (in the middle of a word): ـثـ
  • Final (at the end of a word): ـث

These forms connect with the letters around them, except for certain letters that cannot connect.

  • Isolated form (ث): This is used when Thaa stands by itself or at the end of a word after a connecting letter.
  • Initial form (ثـ): Thaa appears in this form at the beginning of a word or in the middle, if the letter before it connects.
  • Medial form (ـثـ): This form is used when Thaa is in the middle of a word, connecting to both the letter before and the letter after.
  • Final form (ـث): Thaa takes this form when it appears at the end of a word after a connecting letter.

Common Words with Thaa

Here are some words that use the letter Thaa:

  • ثلاثة (thalaatha) – meaning “three”
  • ثوب (thawb) – meaning “garment” or “dress”

Thaa is a Moon Letter

Thaa is classified as a moon letter (حرف قمري). This means that when it follows the definite article “ال” (al-), the L sound is pronounced clearly. For example:

  • In the word الثوب (al-thawb – the garment), the L is pronounced, making the sound al-thawb.

Moon letters do not assimilate the L sound in “al” like sun letters do. This is an important point to remember when reading or writing Arabic words with Thaa.

READ ALSO: How to Represent the Letter E in Arabic

Here are four tables with ten examples each for the different forms of the letter Thaa (ث):

1. Isolated Form (ث)

Arabic WordTransliterationMeaning
ثوبthawbgarment
ثعبانthu‘baansnake
ثمارthimaa’rfruits
ثلاثاءthalaathaaTuesday
ثروةtharwahwealth
ثلجthaljsnow
ثقةthiqahtrust
ثنائياتthanaa’iyaatdualities
ثقة النفسthiqat al-nafsself-confidence
ثورةthawrahrevolution

2. Initial Form (ثـ)

Arabic WordTransliterationMeaning
ثلاثةthalaathathree
ثمارthimaa’rfruits
ثانويةthaanawiyyahsecondary
ثانياًthaaniyansecondly
ثديthadybreast
ثعلبtha‘labfox
ثورةthawrahrevolution
ثمارthimaa’rcrops
ثوبthawbdress
ثناياthanaa’yacanines (teeth)

3. Medial Form (ـثـ)

Arabic WordTransliterationMeaning
مثالmithaalexample
مؤثّرmu’aththirinfluencer
نثريnathriprose
أثل‘athaltamarisk tree
مختارmukhtaarchosen
مكتوبmaktoobwritten
ميثاقmeethaakcovenant
مسألةmas’alahissue
ماثلmaathilpresent
قيثارةqaythaaraguitar

4. Final Form (ـث)

Arabic WordTransliterationMeaning
بثbathbroadcast
نحيثnahithwe are talking
أسيثaseethit is confirmed
جثjathhe got tired
ليثlaythlion
قثqathit is stuck
واثwaathsupportive
منثmanthit is managed
يثyathhe is present
قثqathit is hidden

These tables provide clear examples of how the letter Thaa appears in its different forms, along with their transliterations and meanings.

Understanding the letter Thaa is an important step in learning Arabic. It appears in many common words and is easy to pronounce once you get used to it. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be able to spot and pronounce Thaa with confidence!

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