{"id":174,"date":"2020-12-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/log.cudoo.com\/2018\/03\/11\/tricky-tongue-twisters-tough-to-pronounce-arabic-words\/"},"modified":"2023-01-27T01:41:29","modified_gmt":"2023-01-27T06:41:29","slug":"tricky-tongue-twisters-tough-to-pronounce-arabic-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/tricky-tongue-twisters-tough-to-pronounce-arabic-words\/","title":{"rendered":"Tricky Tongue Twisters: Tough to Pronounce Arabic Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arabic, a language<\/span> spoken by more than 300 million people<\/span><\/a> around the globe,<\/span> is one of the most beautiful and unique languages to exist. Having been around for over 1,500 years, Arabic is the official language of 26 countries and one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While knowing more than one language is an excellent skill to have, for both personal and professional reasons, fluency in Arabic is indispensable if you plan to visit an Arab country or, more importantly, wish to work for the government. Additionally, as more businesses plan to expand into the Middle East, knowledge of the Arabic language<\/a> can support you in securing an excellent job opportunity and also help define your career goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the benefits of knowing the language are aplenty, it can be difficult for native English speakers to master the heavy sounds and pronunciation accurately. Chances are, as a new learner, your web search would probably be full of queries such as \u2018how to pronounce Arabic words correctly?\u2019 However, there\u2019s no need to panic! All new language learners go through similar learning curves and <\/span>once you master those sounds, it becomes pretty straightforward to articulate all the Arabic words perfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, time to unravel those tongue twisters and help you get started on the journey of perfectly spoken Arabic. Here are some tricky words with pronunciation tips to help you sound just like a native Arabic speaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kahwa = coffee<\/h2>\n

\"food-beans-coffee-drink.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: ka-wa<\/p>\n

Correct Pronunciation: Ka-h-wa<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first letter in the word \u201cKahwa\u201d is known as the letter \u201cKaaf\u201d (with K written as a capital letter) and is one of the letters that doesn\u2019t really have a counterpart in English. It can actually be pronounced like a regular k but with the tongue farther back. Hence, the mispronunciation of most words in Arabic often includes the letter \u201cKaaf\u201d. Also, it is not to be confused with the letter \u201ckaaf\u201d which is softer in sound and written with a small \u201ck\u201d.<\/p>\n

More importantly, people usually forget to pronounce the letter \u201ch\u201d that appears in the middle of the word, and that alters the entire meaning of the sentence.<\/p>\n

To hear the sounds of the alphabet, check them out in our Arabic Online Course<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kalb = heart<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Heart.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: kalb (a dog)<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: Ka \u2013lb (a heart)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Same as the previous one, the capital \u201cK\u201d at the beginning of the word never sounds soft so when learners mispronounce it in the word \u201cKalb\u201d, the meaning changes from a heart to a dog! It must sound like the final sound in the English word \u201ctruck<\/u>\u201d but with more gruffness to attain perfection.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the pronunciation is of two syllables and not just one.<\/p>\n

Sabaah l-khayr = Good Morning<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Good<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: saba l-kayr<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: Sa-baa-H l-khayr<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first letter in SabaaH l-khayr is the sound-mate of the letter \u201cs\u201d but makes a gruff \u2018s<\/strong>\u2018 sound that isn\u2019t commonly found in other languages.<\/p>\n

To pronounce this letter correctly, you must press your tongue against your upper gum area, right where the gum meets your upper teeth, and then make the \u2018S\u2019 sound as you should in SabaaH l-khayr.<\/p>\n

mashghuul = Busy<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Busy.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: mashuul<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: mash-ghuu-l<\/strong><\/p>\n

The challenge in pronouncing this word is that it contains one of the hardest sounds in Arabic: \u201cgh\u201d. People have to really train themselves to learn how to pronounce the letter \u201cghayn\u201d. It is almost a gargling sound produced from the back of the throat. The \u201cgh\u201d sound in Arabic is very similar to the sound of \u2018r\u2019<\/strong> found in the French language<\/a>.<\/p>\n

mu\u2019aal = A Question<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Question.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: suwal<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: su \u2013 \u2018 \u2013 aal<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a very tricky sound found in many Arabic words. The apostrophe that appears in the middle of the word means that you should cut the word into two parts when you pronounce it.<\/p>\n

To make it simpler, it would be ideal to pronounce the two parts as 2 different words with a mini pause in between. As an example, the word \u201cbutter\u201d in English can be pronounced the same way by dividing it into two parts like bu-\u2018-ter.<\/p>\n

Abu Dhabi<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Abu<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: Abu dabi<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: Abuu DHa-bii<\/strong><\/p>\n

To pronounce the correct sound of \u201cDH\u201d in Arabic, you need to put your tongues between your teeth. It is similar to the sound of the \u201cth\u201d in the English word \u201cfather\u201d. People tend to find it difficult initially but with practice, anybody can perfect it.<\/p>\n

baTTa = Duck<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"pexels-photo-109106.jpeg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: bata<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: baT-Ta<\/strong><\/p>\n

We need to stress letter \u201cT\u201d in the word \u201cbaTTa\u201d because it is doubled and when a letter is doubled in Arabic, it means that we need to double pronounce it or, in other words, emphasize it.<\/p>\n

juu:aan = Hungry<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Hungry.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: jo-anne<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: juu-:aan<\/strong><\/p>\n

The colon in the word \u201cjuu:aan\u201d represents one of the hardest Arabic sounds and does not have any sort of substitute sound in the English language. While it has many possible transliterations, you shouldn\u2019t be surprised to see it represented by the number 3 in some of the words (for example, ju3<\/strong>aan). Most people drop the sound simply because they cannot pronounce it.<\/p>\n

na:na: = Mint<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Mint.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: nana<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: na:na:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The pronunciation of this word is similar to the previous example and the best way to learn it is would be to listen to a native speaker\u2019s pronunciation and practice incessantly. It is a sound made by constricting the muscles of the larynx so that the flow of air through the throat is partially choked off.<\/p>\n

na:am = Yes<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Yes.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: nam<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: na:am<\/strong><\/p>\n

Learners need to pay attention to the pronunciation as a different pronunciation might change the meaning entirely. It changes from the word \u201cyes\u201d to the verb \u201cto sleep\u201d in the imperative form!<\/p>\n

baHr = Sea<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Sea.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: bar<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: baHr<\/strong><\/p>\n

The capital H in the word \u2018baHr\u2019 is another purely Arabic sound that can be produced similar to a hissing \u2018h\u2019. <\/strong>It can be transliterated using number 7 as well in the following way: ba7r.<\/p>\n

Faransaa = France<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"France-1.png\"<\/p>\n

Wrong pronunciation: Fa-ran-s-yaa<\/p>\n

Correct pronunciation: Fa-ran-saa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lots of learners tend to add a \u201cy\u201d before the last syllable in the word \u201cfaransaa\u201d for no apparent reason. This could probably because countries such as Germany, Australia & Bulgaria finish with the \u201c-yaa\u201d ending for many words either due to their accents or their mother tongue. However, in Arabic, this is not a general rule and must not be confused when speaking in the Arabic language.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n

Learning a new language is an extremely personal experience, fruitful to each individual in a different way. Regardless of that, it\u2019s important to remember that all new learners face similar difficulties and challenges along the way. What matters is to overcome these difficulties through practice and dedication.\u00a0<\/span>The benefits of knowing Arabic will outweigh all the challenges, right from being able to communicate successfully with a native Arabic speaker to landing your dream job in Dubai. The benefits also include forming lifelong friendships and connections with people of different backgrounds and cultures – all priceless! So, stop searching for easy solutions to \u2018how to pronounce Arabic words\u2019 and start practicing them!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Arabic has <\/span>9 regional dialects<\/span><\/a>, so, once you\u2019ve perfected your pronunciation of <\/span>Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)<\/span><\/a>, you can switch to other dialects with ease. <\/span><\/p>\n

For more sounds of the alphabet, learn\u00a0Arabic online<\/a>\u00a0from the comfort of your home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arabic, a language spoken by more than 300 million people around the globe, is one of the most beautiful and unique languages to exist. Having been around for over 1,500 years, Arabic is the official language of 26 countries and one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations.\u00a0 While knowing more than one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[650,3169,6546,259,1402,54,4863,6187,6184,6543,6542,6190,1403,6188,973,6186,6185,366,6189,6182],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8048,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174\/revisions\/8048"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}