Makharij al-huruf are the articulation points of the Arabic letters: the exact places in the throat, tongue, lips and nose where each sound is produced. Most Quran teachers follow Ibn al-Jazari, who counted 17 points in 5 areas. Learning them is the first step of tajweed, because a letter made in the wrong place can change a word's meaning.
What does "makharij al-huruf" mean?
Makharij (مخارج) is the plural of makhraj, "a place of exit". Huruf (حروف) means "letters". Together, makharij al-huruf (also spelled makharij al-huroof or makharijul huruf) means "the exit points of the letters".
Every Arabic letter has a home. The letter ب is made by closing the lips. The letter ع is made in the middle of the throat. When the sound leaves from its proper home, the letter is clear. When it leaves from a neighbouring point, the reader produces a different letter, and sometimes a different word.
A simple example shows why this matters. قَلْب (qalb) means "heart". If the ق is pronounced like an English "k", the word becomes كَلْب (kalb), "dog". The spelling did not change; only the articulation point did.
Why do makharij matter when reciting the Quran?
Allah says: "...and recite the Qur'an with measured recitation" (Quran 73:4). Measured, careful recitation begins with getting each letter right. Scholars of tajweed commonly divide mistakes into two kinds:
- Clear mistakes (lahn jali): errors that change a letter or a vowel, such as turning ح into ه or ق into ك. Avoiding these is required of anyone reciting the Quran.
- Hidden mistakes (lahn khafi): errors in the finer qualities of recitation, such as a ghunnah that is too short. These are polished over time with a teacher.
Most makharij errors fall into the first group, which is why teachers start here.
What are the 5 areas of articulation?
All 17 points sit inside five broad areas:
- Al-jawf (the empty space of the mouth and throat): the long vowel sounds.
- Al-halq (the throat): six letters, in three levels.
- Al-lisan (the tongue): eighteen letters, from ten different points.
- Ash-shafatan (the two lips): four letters.
- Al-khayshum (the nasal passage): the ghunnah, the nasal sound of noon and meem.
What are the 17 makharij? (Full chart)
| Area | Point | Letters | Where the sound is made |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-jawf | 1 | ا و ي (as long vowels) | The open space of the mouth and throat; the sound ends when the breath ends |
| Al-halq | 2 | ء ه | The deepest part of the throat, near the chest |
| Al-halq | 3 | ع ح | The middle of the throat |
| Al-halq | 4 | غ خ | The top of the throat, nearest the mouth |
| Al-lisan | 5 | ق | The back of the tongue against the soft palate |
| Al-lisan | 6 | ك | The back of the tongue, slightly forward of ق |
| Al-lisan | 7 | ج ش ي | The middle of the tongue against the hard palate |
| Al-lisan | 8 | ض | One or both sides of the tongue against the upper molars |
| Al-lisan | 9 | ل | The front edges of the tongue against the gums of the upper front teeth |
| Al-lisan | 10 | ن | The tip of the tongue, just in front of ل |
| Al-lisan | 11 | ر | The tip of the tongue with a little of its top, close to ن |
| Al-lisan | 12 | ط د ت | The tip of the tongue against the roots of the upper front teeth |
| Al-lisan | 13 | ص س ز | The tip of the tongue near the lower front teeth, with a whistle-like sound |
| Al-lisan | 14 | ظ ذ ث | The tip of the tongue against the edges of the upper front teeth |
| Ash-shafatan | 15 | ف | The inside of the lower lip against the edges of the upper front teeth |
| Ash-shafatan | 16 | و ب م | The two lips: closed for ب and م, rounded for و |
| Al-khayshum | 17 | ghunnah of ن and م | The nasal passage |
Not every scholar counts the same way. Ibn al-Jazari's 17 points are the most widely taught today. Sibawayh, the early grammarian, counted 16, because he did not treat al-jawf as a separate area. Al-Farra' counted 14, merging the points of ل, ن and ر. The letters themselves are pronounced the same in all three systems; only the way of grouping them differs.
Which letters come from the throat?
Six letters come from the throat, at three depths:
- Deepest: ء (hamzah) and ه (ha).
- Middle: ع (ayn) and ح (ha).
- Nearest the mouth: غ (ghayn) and خ (kha).
These are the letters of izhar in the rules of noon sakinah, so they come up again as soon as you start tajweed rules.
Which letter pairs do English speakers confuse most?
Several Arabic letters have no exact English match, so English speakers tend to replace them with the nearest English sound. These are the pairs teachers correct most often:
| Pair | The common slip | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
| ق / ك | Saying ق like an English "k" | Pull the sound further back, where you feel the soft palate; ق is deeper and heavier |
| ح / ه | Saying ح as a soft "h" | ح comes from the middle of the throat with a slight squeeze, like breathing on a cold window; ه is a light breath from the chest |
| ع / ء | Dropping ع or turning it into a glottal stop | ع is a voiced sound from the middle of the throat; ء is a short stop from the deepest point |
| ص / س | Saying ص like a plain "s" | Raise the back of the tongue to make ص heavy and full |
| ض / د | Saying ض like a "d" | Use the side of the tongue against the upper molars; ض is heavy and longer |
| ط / ت | Saying ط like a light "t" | Press the tongue firmly and raise its back so the sound is full |
| ظ / ذ / ز | Saying all three as "z" | ذ and ظ need the tongue tip at the edge of the upper teeth; ظ is the heavy one; ز is a whistle at the lower teeth |
| ث / س | Saying ث as "s" | Put the tongue tip at the edge of the upper teeth, like "th" in "think" |
Our older guide to Arabic alphabet pronunciation gives English sound hints for each letter, and the history of the letters themselves is covered in the Arabic alphabet.
How can you find the makhraj of a letter yourself?
Classical teachers use a simple test that still works well:
- Say a hamzah with a fatha: أَ.
- Add the letter you want to test, with a sukun: أَبْ, أَتْ, أَقْ, أَعْ.
- Stop on the letter and notice where the sound ends. That place is its makhraj.
Try it with أَقْ and then أَكْ. You will feel ق stop further back than ك. Then compare أَحْ and أَهْ, and feel the difference between the middle and the bottom of the throat.
A short daily drill
- Pick two confusable letters, such as ح and ه.
- Say each with the أَ test five times, slowly.
- Read a line of the Quran that contains both and listen for the difference.
- Record yourself on your phone and compare with a clear reciter.
Five to ten minutes a day is enough. Short, regular practice works better than one long session a week.
What is the difference between makharij and sifat?
Makharij tell you where a letter is made. Sifat (صفات, the qualities) tell you how it is made: whether the breath flows or stops, whether the sound is heavy or light, whether it bounces or whistles.
Some letters share a makhraj and differ only in their sifat. ط, د and ت come from the same point, but ط is heavy and full, while ت is light with a breathy release. That is why learners need both: makharij first, then sifat.
How do makharij fit into the rest of tajweed?
Makharij are the foundation. Once your letters are right, the rules that follow make sense: noon sakinah and tanween, meem sakinah, qalqalah, madd, and heavy and light letters. Our guide to tajweed rules for beginners shows the order most teachers follow after makharij, and common tajweed mistakes lists the slips that usually appear next.
Can you learn makharij online with a teacher?
Yes. Makharij are learned by listening and being corrected, which works well live and one-to-one. A teacher hears the difference between ح and ه immediately and can show you where to place your tongue.
At Murouj Academy, every teacher is a native Arab, a native Arabic speaker from the Arab world, and every teacher holds an ijazah. Pronunciation and makharij are therefore taught by people for whom these sounds are natural. Classes are one-to-one, with a personalised plan, in lessons of 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Women and girls are taught by female teachers, and adult men by male teachers.
You can work on makharij in the online Tajweed course, or compare all six Murouj Academy courses. The easiest first step is to book a free trial class and have your letters checked live by the teacher you choose.
Frequently asked questions
How many makharij are there?
Most teachers follow Ibn al-Jazari's count of 17 articulation points in 5 areas. Sibawayh counted 16 and al-Farra' counted 14. The difference is only in grouping; the letters are pronounced the same way.
What are the 5 areas of articulation?
The five areas are al-jawf (the empty space of the mouth and throat), al-halq (the throat), al-lisan (the tongue), ash-shafatan (the lips) and al-khayshum (the nasal passage).
Which letters come from the throat?
Six letters: ء and ه from the deepest part, ع and ح from the middle, and غ and خ from the top of the throat nearest the mouth.
Why do non-Arabs struggle with ع and ح?
English has no sounds made in the middle of the throat, so learners tend to drop ع or replace ح with a light "h". Regular practice with the أَ test and live correction from a teacher fixes both.
What is the difference between makharij and sifat?
Makharij are the places where letters are made; sifat are the qualities of how they are made, such as heavy or light. Letters that share a makhraj, like ط and ت, are told apart by their sifat.
Can I learn makharij without a teacher?
You can study the chart and practise on your own, but it is hard to hear your own mistakes. A teacher who listens live is the most reliable way to confirm that each letter comes from its correct point.
