Arabic alphabet · letter 19 of 28

Arabic letter Ghayn (غ)

Ghayn (غ) is the 19th letter of the Arabic alphabet. It sounds like a gargly gh, like a French r. It has one dot on top and joins the letters on both sides.

19th of 28One dot on topJoins both sidesHeavy letterAges 3–7

Teacher review under way.

Sound

How to say Ghayn

Its name in Arabic

غَيْن

Ghayn

Make a soft gargling sound at the top of your throat, like the French 'r' in 'Paris': gh.

A heavy letter. Ghayn 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.

Also written Ghain.

Letter shapes

Ghayn in its four shapes

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

Short vowels

gha, ghi, ghu: Ghayn with harakat

Add a little vowel mark and غ 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 Ghayn

  • غَزَال

    ghazal

    gazelle

  • غَيْمَة

    ghaymah

    cloud

  • غَابَة

    ghabah

    forest

Spot the difference

Look-alike letters

غGhayn
عAyn

Same shape as ع — غ has one dot on top.

Practise

Practise Ghayn (غ)