Learning Persian Alphabet (12)

Welcome to the twelfth episode of the Persian Learning Alphabet Series. In this lesson, you will learn how to write “z” “t”, and “q”. We know you have already learned these letters. But do you remember the borrowed Arabic words in Persian? As mentioned, these borrowed words have kept their written forms while their pronunciations have changed based on Persian phonology. For instance, Persian, unlike Arabic has only one sound for “z” but four written forms. As a Persian learner, you cannot avoid learning these different letters. But we attempt to simplify them as much as possible. However, the last two lessons require more practice than the previous ones. So, let’s start the challenge with the “q” letter if you are ready.

A new “q” in Persian

Do you remember writing “′ayn”, the famous glottal stop? If yes, it will be easy to learn this new “q.” Just put a dot on top of it and you will have “qayn.”

qeyn - Learning Persian Alphabet (12)

In the IPA system, these two sounds are shown as follows:

ق: q

غ: ɣ

But we use “q” in the FarsiMonde transcribing system for both sounds. These two sounds are slightly different in pronunciation in Persian. “q” is a uvular plosive sound while “ɣ” is a velar fricative. The former is pronounced softer while the latter is mostly pronounced like the French “R” sound. However, distinguishing between these sounds is difficult and Iranians may also pronounce them interchangeably.

Some words with the “غ” sound are rooted in old Iranian languages, including Sogdi or Balkhi. Here are some examples:

جُغد چِراغ باغ باغچه زاغ

Different “z” in the Persian Alphabet

Four different letters in the Arabic alphabet are pronounced as “z” in Persian. You have already learned two of them. Today you learn the third one which is the least frequent.

ز = z

ض = ḍ

ذ = ḏ

Whenever you see the new “ذ” memorize the word as it is. Remember that this latest letter is the least frequent among the four “z”; therefore, you’d better not use it when in doubt. There are some examples here for you to get familiar with this letter. Learn the first word now since it has both “غ” and “ذ”. Moreover, the word helps you to survive in the Persian-speaking countries, because it means food.

غَذا کاغَذ ذُرَت لِذَت عُذر مَعذِرَت

The two “t” in the Persian alphabet

The last sound to learn in this lesson is a new “t”. The good news is that there are only two “t” in the Arabic and Persian Alphabet and this new “t” has only one shape. It can connect to both sides and it does not change when it comes at the end of a word.

t in Farsi - Learning Persian Alphabet (12)

Here are some examples of this new “t”.

طَلا حَیاط طَناب خَطَر قَطار قَطَر

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Examples to practice

Sometimes, it is not easy to distinguish between the “گ”, “غ” and “خ” sounds. The following listening exercise helps you practice the “غ” sound more. As usual, there is also a reading practice.