Letters Group 4: Siin to Daad

This lesson introduces four letters: Siin (س), Shiin (ش), Saad (ص), and Daad (ض). This group includes the first emphatic consonants — sounds produced with a thickened, deeper quality that do not exist in English. Arabic is sometimes called "the language of Daad" (لغة الضاد) because the letter ض is considered unique to Arabic.

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Pair 1: س (Siin) and ش (Shiin) — The Tooth Letters

These two letters feature a distinctive "teeth" shape — three small peaks resembling teeth on a comb.

Letter 12: س (Siin)

Four Forms of Siin

Form	Shape	Description
Isolated	س	Three teeth with a long tail, no dots
Initial	سـ	Three teeth connecting left
Medial	ـسـ	Three teeth connecting both sides
Final	ـس	Three teeth with tail connecting from right

Pronunciation

• Identical to the English "s" as in "sun"

Example Words

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
سَلام	salaam	peace
سَمَك	samak	fish
دَرس	dars	lesson

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Letter 13: ش (Shiin)

Shiin is Siin with three dots above.

Four Forms of Shiin

Form	Shape	Description
Isolated	ش	Three teeth with tail, 3 dots above
Initial	شـ	Three teeth connecting left, 3 dots above
Medial	ـشـ	Three teeth connecting both sides, 3 dots above
Final	ـش	Three teeth with tail connecting from right, 3 dots above

Pronunciation

• Like the English "sh" as in "ship" or "she"

Example Words

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
شَمس	shams	sun
شُكرًا	shukran	thank you
شَجَرة	shajara	tree

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Pair 2: ص (Saad) and ض (Daad) — The Emphatic Letters

These two letters introduce emphatic pronunciation. Emphatic consonants are produced with the tongue pulled back and the back of the tongue raised toward the roof of the mouth, creating a deeper, "thicker" sound.

Letter 14: ص (Saad)

Four Forms of Saad

Form	Shape	Description
Isolated	ص	Rounded loop shape, no dot
Initial	صـ	Loop connecting left
Medial	ـصـ	Loop connecting both sides
Final	ـص	Loop connecting from right

Pronunciation

• An emphatic "s" — like "s" but pronounced with the tongue pulled back and the mouth more open
• It makes neighbouring vowels sound deeper and more "hollow"
• Compare: س (siin) = light "s" vs ص (saad) = heavy, deep "s"

Example Words

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
صَباح	sabaah	morning
صَديق	sadiiq	friend
صَبر	sabr	patience

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Letter 15: ض (Daad)

Daad is Saad with one dot above. It is the letter that gives Arabic its nickname.

Four Forms of Daad