Arabic alphabet · letter 16 of 28

Arabic letter Taa (ط)

Taa (ط) is the 16th letter of the Arabic alphabet. It sounds like a heavy t. It has no dots and joins the letters on both sides.

16th of 28No dotsJoins both sidesHeavy letterAges 3–7

Teacher review under way.

Sound

How to say Taa

Its name in Arabic

طَاء

Taa

Say t, but lift the back of your tongue too and keep your mouth round, so it sounds deep and strong. ت (Ta) is the light one.

A heavy letter. Taa 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 Ṭa, Tah. Some books use 'Taa' for ت as well. On NoorHop, Taa always means this heavy letter ط, and ت is Ta.

Letter shapes

Taa in its four shapes

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

Short vowels

ta, ti, tu: Taa with harakat

Add a little vowel mark and ط 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 Taa

  • طَائِرَة

    ta'irah

    aeroplane

  • طَاوُوس

    tawoos

    peacock

  • طَمَاطِم

    tamatim

    tomatoes

Spot the difference

Look-alike letters

طTaa
ظDhaa

ظ is ط with one dot on top.

Practise

Practise Taa (ط)