What Is Makharij? The 17 Articulation Points of Arabic Letters
By Muhammad Hassan ·
Have you ever felt that you pronounce Arabic letters correctly but your teacher still corrects you? Most of the time the problem is the makharij. Makharij are the places in the throat, mouth and nose where each Arabic letter is produced. Once you know and master them, you can hear the difference between letters that sound almost similar, and your Quran recitation becomes clearer. This blog covers all 17 makharij, with examples and practice tips.
What is Makharij? (Quick answer)
Makharij (مَخَارِج) is the plural of makhraj (مَخْرَج), which means "the place of exit". In Tajweed, a makhraj is the point in the throat, mouth or nose where a letter's sound is produced. According to Imam Ibn al-Jazari, whose system most teachers follow today, there are 17 makharij spread across five main areas.
Why Makharij matter
Every Arabic letter has its makhraj and some letters share the same makhraj. If you pronounce a letter from the wrong place, you are no longer saying that letter. You are saying a different one. And because Arabic words are built from their letters, a wrong letter can change the word's meaning.
For example, قَلْب (qalb) means "heart", but pronounced with a Kaaf instead of a Qaaf it becomes كَلْب (kalb), which means "dog". The only difference is how far back in the mouth the sound is made. You can read more about this pair in our post on the difference between Qaaf and Kaaf.
This is why scholars of Tajweed begin with the makharij before any other rule. The rules of Tajweed are built on top of correct letters.
How to find the makhraj of any letter
Teachers use a simple method to find the Makhraj of a letter that you can do right now:
1. Put a sukoon on the letter you want to test.
2. Put a hamzah with a vowel before it, for example أَبْ (ab), أَتْ (at) or أَقْ (aq).
3. Say it slowly and notice where the sound stops. The place where the sound stops, or where your tongue or lips make contact, is that letter's makhraj.
Try it with أَبْ: your lips close. Now try أَقْ: the back of your tongue rises to the back of the roof of your mouth. You have just found two makharij.
The five areas of Makharij
All 17 makharij is pronounced from five areas, from deep in the chest to the nose:
| Area | Arabic name | Number of makharij | Letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| The empty space of the mouth and throat | الجَوْف (Al-Jawf) | 1 | ا و ي (as long vowels) |
| The throat | الحَلْق (Al-Halq) | 3 | ء ه ع ح غ خ |
| The tongue | اللِّسَان (Al-Lisan) | 10 | 18 letters |
| The two lips | الشَّفَتَان (Ash-Shafatan) | 2 | ف ب م و |
| The nasal passage | الخَيْشُوم (Al-Khayshum) | 1 | Ghunnah (nasal sound) |
1. Al-Jawf: the empty space
Al-Jawf is the open space inside the mouth and throat. It is the makhraj of the three long vowel (madd) letters: Alif Madd which is an alif preceded by a fatha (بَا),Waw Madd which is a waw with sukoon preceded by a dammah (بُو), and Yaa Madd which is a yaa with sukoon preceded by a kasrah (بِي). These sounds have no fixed contact point. They end when your breath or voice ends.
2. Al-Halq: the throat
The throat has three makharij, each producing two letters:
• The deepest part of the throat (aqsa al-halq): ء and ه
• The middle of the throat (wasat al-halq): ع and ح
• The part of the throat closest to the mouth (adna al-halq): غ and خ
These six letters are known as the throat letters. See our full guide to the throat letters (Halq).
3. Al-Lisan: the tongue
The tongue produces the most sound in Arabic: it has 10 makharij that produce 18 letters.
| No. | Part of the tongue | Touches | Letters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The very back of the tongue | The soft palate | ق |
| 2 | The back of the tongue, slightly forward of Qaaf | The hard palate | ك |
| 3 | The middle of the tongue | The roof of the mouth above it | ج ش ي |
| 4 | One or both sides of the tongue | The upper molars | ض |
| 5 | The front edges of the tongue, up to the tip | The gums of the upper front teeth | ل |
| 6 | The tip of the tongue | The gums of the upper front teeth, just below Laam's point | ن |
| 7 | The tip of the tongue with a little of its upper surface | Close to Noon's point | ر |
| 8 | The tip of the tongue | The roots of the upper two front teeth | ط د ت |
| 9 | The tip of the tongue | The edges of the upper two front teeth | ظ ذ ث |
| 10 | The tip of the tongue | Near the lower front teeth, with a small gap | ص ز س |
4. Ash-Shafatan: the two lips
The lips have 2 Makhraj which produces 4 letters:
• The inside of the lower lip touching the edges of the upper front teeth: ف
• Both lips together: ب (lips pressed firmly), م (lips closed gently) and و (lips rounded, not closed)
5. Al-Khayshum: the nasal passage
Al-Khayshum is the space at the back of the nose in other word Nasal Cavity. It is not the makhraj of a letter but of the ghunnah, the nasal sound that produces while reciting Noon and Meem, especially when they have a shaddah, as in إِنَّ and ثُمَّ. An easy method to know that sound is coming from Nasal Cavity is to pinch your nose while saying a long "nnn": if the sound stops, it is coming from the khayshum or Nasal Cavity.
Why do some books count 14 or 16 makharij?
You may see different Makharij numbers in different Tajweed books. Earlier scholars such as :Sibawayh counted 16 makharij; he didn't count the Makharij from Jauf, because he says there is no different Makhraj for Madd Letters . Al-Farra counted 14, he counted makhraj of ل,ن, ر as one Makhraj,because the makharij of ل,ن, ر is so closed to each other that he counted as one Makhraj, mostly because they grouped some points together.Some scholars say that every letter has its own Makhraj, because every letter has a different sound from other letters.The count of 17, taught by Ibn al-Jazari in his famous poem al-Muqaddimah al-Jazariyyah, is the one most Tajweed teachers use today. The letters and their sounds are the same in all of these systems. Only the way of counting differs.
Makharij are only half the story: the sifaat
Knowing a letter's makhraj tells you where it comes from and how to pronounce it. But some letters share the same makhraj and still sound different, such as ج ش ي from the middle of the tongue, or ت د ط from the tip. What separates them are their characteristics, called sifaat .
A few of the most important sifaat are:
• Jahr and hams: whether the breath is held back (jahr) or released with the sound (hams). ك has hams, so a little breath escapes. ق has jahr.
• Shiddah and rakhawah: whether the sound stops completely (shiddah), as in ب, or flows (rakhawah), as in س.
• Isti'la and istifal: whether the back of the tongue rises (isti'la), making the letter heavy, or stays low (istifal), keeping it light.
• Qalqalah: the slight echo on ق ط ب ج د when they have a sukoon.
Once your makharij are correct, learning the sifaat is the next step to improve your recitation, a truly accurate recitation. Your teacher will introduce them gradually, one or two at a time.
The makharij in Surah Al-Fatiha
Surah Al-Fatiha is the best place to practise your makharij, because you recite it in every prayer and it contains letters from almost every makhraj. As you recite it slowly, listen for:
• The long vowels of the jawf in الرَّحِيمِ (1:3) and الدِّينِ (1:4)
• The throat letters in الْحَمْدُ and الْعَالَمِينَ (1:2)
• The back of the tongue in مَالِكِ (1:4) and الْمُسْتَقِيمَ (1:6)
• The side of the tongue in الضَّالِّينَ (1:7)
• The lips in بِسْمِ (1:1) and الْمَغْضُوبِ (1:7)
If you can recite Al-Fatiha with every letter from its correct makhraj, you have already built a strong foundation.
Letters English and Urdu speakers most often mix up
| You might say | But the letter is | Where the difference is |
|---|---|---|
| ه (light h) | ح (heavy Haa) | ح comes from the middle of the throat, ه from the deepest part |
| أ (Hamzah) | ع (Ayn) | ع comes from the middle of the throat it’s sound like squeezing |
| ك (Kaaf) | ق (Qaaf) | ق is further back, at the soft palate |
| س (Seen) | ث (Thaa) | ث has the tongue tip at the edges of the front teeth |
| ز (Zaa) | ذ (Dhaal) or ظ (Dhaa) | Tongue tip at the edges of the front teeth, not behind them |
| د (Daal) or ز (Zaa) | ض (Daad) | ض comes from the side of the tongue against the molars |
A simple practice routine
1. Take one makhraj a day. Say each of its letters with the hamzah test (أَقْ, أَكْ) ten times.
2. Record yourself on your phone and compare with a teacher or a trusted reciter or, recite it to a teacher.
3. Find the letter in Surah Al-Fatiha and recite that verse slowly, focusing only on that letter.
4. Once a week, recite the whole of Al-Fatiha and check every letter you have practised.
Watch: What is Makharij?
Our teacher explains the five areas of the makharij in this short video.
Frequently asked questions
How many makharij are there?
Most Tajweed teachers follow Imam Ibn al-Jazari, who counted 17 makharij in five areas: one in the jawf (empty space), three in the throat, ten on the tongue, two on the lips and one in the nasal passage, and there are two more Scholars who counted 14 and 16 makharij which we discussed above.
What is the difference between makhraj and makharij?
Makhraj is singular and means one point of articulation. Makharij is the plural. You would say "the makhraj of Qaaf", but "the makharij of the throat letters".
Which makhraj has the most letters?
The tongue (al-lisan) has the most makhraj, it has 10 makharij which produces 18 letters. Most of its makharij share more than one letter, such as the middle of the tongue, which produces ج ش ي.
How long does it take to learn the makharij?
Most students can learn where each letter comes from within a few weeks, but it takes time and practice to produce the letter from its makhraj, usually a few months it’s up to the learner how quickly he gets it.
Get your makharij checked by a teacher
Makharij are much easier to learn when someone can hear you. In our one-on-one online Tajweed course, your teacher checks every letter and corrects it on the spot. If you are just starting to read Arabic, begin with our Noorani Qaida course. Your first class is a free trial.