Arabic alphabet · letter 15 of 28

Arabic letter Daad (ض)

Daad (ض) is the 15th letter of the Arabic alphabet. It sounds like a heavy d. It has one dot on top and joins the letters on both sides.

15th of 28One dot on topJoins both sidesHeavy letterAges 3–7

Teacher review under way.

Sound

How to say Daad

Its name in Arabic

ضَاد

Daad

Press the side of your tongue against your upper back teeth and say a full, deep d with a round mouth. It's one of the hardest Arabic sounds — take your time.

A heavy letter. Daad is one of the seven heavy letters, خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ. Say it with a full, round mouth, so its 'a' sounds deeper too.

Did you know? Arabic is sometimes called 'the language of the Daad', because this sound is so special to it.

Also written Dad, Dhad, Dwad.

Letter shapes

Daad in its four shapes

Arabic letters hold hands with their neighbours, so ض changes its look a little depending on where it sits in a word. Tap a shape to hear the letter.

Short vowels

da, di, du: Daad with harakat

Add a little vowel mark and ض becomes a sound you can say. Fatha on top says a, kasra underneath says i, and damma on top says u. Tap each one.

Coral = fatha (a), blue = kasra (i), green = damma (u). How harakat work →

Picture words

Words that start with Daad

  • ضِفْدَع

    difda'

    frog

  • ضِرْس

    dirs

    back tooth

  • ضَبّ

    dabb

    desert lizard

Spot the difference

Look-alike letters

ضDaad
صSaad

Same shape as ص — ض has one dot on top.

Practise

Practise Daad (ض)