Letter 21 of 29
Qaf
Transliterated “q”
ق
Its four forms
An Arabic letter changes shape depending on where it sits in a word. All four are the same letter.
- Isolated
- ق
- Initial
- قـ
- Medial
- ـقـ
- Final
- ـق
Where it comes from
Back of the tongue against the soft palate
Further back than ك. Always heavy, and it bounces on sukun.
More on this articulation point →Qualities
- Shiddah
- Jahr
- Qalqalah
- Isti'la
Joining: Joins to the letter that follows it.
Common mistakes
- Pronouncing it as ك
- Bringing it forward in the mouth
In the Quran
- 112:1قُلْQaf opening Al-Ikhlas