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Mastery & Revision · Arabic Script

الحُرُوفُ الشَّمْسِيَّةُ وَالقَمَرِيَّةُ

Sun and Moon Letters — Script Mastery 02

Learn how the definite article الـ changes in pronunciation before Sun letters and remains clearly pronounced before Moon letters.

الشَّمْسُ
ash-shams
النَّاسُ
an-nās
القَمَرُ
al-qamar
البَيْتُ
al-bayt
Choose Your Route · اِخْتَرْ مَسَارَكَ

Use the chapter at the depth you need

Core

  • Recognise the 14 Sun letters.
  • Recognise the 14 Moon letters.
  • Pronounce الـ correctly in common words.

Develop

  • Apply assimilation with shadda.
  • Read words without transliteration.
  • Sort unfamiliar words accurately.

Stretch

  • Explain phonetic assimilation.
  • Analyse connected speech.
  • Repair spelling and pronunciation errors.
Core Concept · الفِكْرَةُ الأَسَاسِيَّةُ

One written article, two pronunciation patterns

Sun pattern

الشَّمْسُ

The ل is not heard. The Sun letter is doubled.

VS

Moon pattern

القَمَرُ

The ل is clearly pronounced.

Essential distinction: the spelling still contains الـ in both cases. The difference is mainly pronunciation and the shadda placed on the Sun letter.
Written
ال + شَمْس
Assimilation
ل + ش → شّ
Pronounced
أَشْشَمْسُ
represented as ash-shams

Core concept check

1. In الشَّمْسُ, what happens to the sound of ل?
The Sun letter ش absorbs the ل sound.
2. In القَمَرُ, is the ل pronounced?
Qāf is a Moon letter, so the ل is heard.
Sun Letters · الحُرُوفُ الشَّمْسِيَّةُ

The 14 Sun letters

ت
ث
د
ذ
ر
ز
س
ش
ص
ض
ط
ظ
ل
ن
Sun sequence: ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن
Word Pronunciation pattern What to notice
التُّفَّاحُ at-tuffāḥ Shadda on ت.
الثَّلْجُ ath-thalj Shadda on ث.
الدَّرْسُ ad-dars Shadda on د.
الرَّجُلُ ar-rajul Shadda on ر.
الشَّارِعُ ash-shāriʿ Shadda on ش.
النَّاسُ an-nās Shadda on ن.

Sun-letter practice

1. Is ر a Sun or Moon letter?
ر is a Sun letter.
2. What mark appears on the Sun letter?
The shadda shows that the Sun letter is doubled.
Moon Letters · الحُرُوفُ القَمَرِيَّةُ

The 14 Moon letters

أ
ب
ج
ح
خ
ع
غ
ف
ق
ك
م
ه
و
ي
Moon sequence: أ ب ج ح خ ع غ ف ق ك م ه و ي
Word Pronunciation pattern What to notice
الأَبُ al-ab The ل is heard.
البَيْتُ al-bayt No shadda on ب.
الجَبَلُ al-jabal The ل remains clear.
القَلَمُ al-qalam Qāf is a Moon letter.
المَدْرَسَةُ al-madrasah Mīm is a Moon letter.
اليَوْمُ al-yawm Yāʾ is a Moon letter.

Moon-letter practice

1. Is ق a Sun or Moon letter?
ق is a Moon letter.
2. What is heard in البَيْتُ?
The definite article is pronounced al-.
Pronunciation Mark · الشَّدَّةُ

Why the shadda matters

The shadda tells the reader that a consonant is doubled. With Sun letters, it represents the assimilation of the ل sound into the next consonant.

Without article

شَمْسٌ

shamsun

With article

الشَّمْسُ

ash-shamsu

What changed?

ل + ش = شّ

The ش is geminated.

Orthographic discipline: write the ل in the definite article even though it is not pronounced in the Sun pattern.

Shadda check

1. Is the ل still written in الشَّمْسُ?
It remains in the spelling.
2. What does the shadda show?
Shadda marks gemination.
Interactive Builder · مَصْنَعُ أَلِ التَّعْرِيفِ

Add the definite article and choose the pronunciation

Choose a noun

Reading Workshop · وَرْشَةُ القِرَاءَةِ

Read mixed Sun and Moon words

فِي الصَّبَاحِ ذَهَبَ الطَّالِبُ إِلَى المَدْرَسَةِ. رَأَى الشَّمْسَ فَوْقَ الجَبَلِ، وَفِي الفَصْلِ كَتَبَ الدَّرْسَ بِالقَلَمِ الأَزْرَقِ.

Reading check

1. What type is the first letter after الـ in الصَّبَاحِ?
ص is a Sun letter.
2. What type is ج in الجَبَلِ?
ج is a Moon letter.
3. How many Sun-letter words appear?
الصَّبَاحِ، الطَّالِبُ، الشَّمْسَ، الدَّرْسَ gives four; count carefully.
Skills Studio · اِسْتَعْمِلِ القَاعِدَةَ

Listen, speak, read and write with the pattern

Listening — classify the word

Listen without looking. Ask a partner or reader to say each noun twice, then label it Sun or Moon in the same order.

🎧 Recorded audio.
Listening script

الشَّارِعُ · البَيْتُ · النَّاسُ · القَمَرُ · السَّمَاءُ · المَطْعَمُ · الرَّجُلُ · الكِتَابُ · الطَّائِرَةُ · الوَلَدُ

Check answers

Sun · Moon · Sun · Moon · Sun · Moon · Sun · Moon · Sun · Moon.

Not yet marked complete.

Speaking — pronunciation chain

Say each word twice:

  1. slowly and carefully;
  2. naturally in a phrase.
الشَّارِعُ الطَّوِيلُ
القَلَمُ الجَدِيدُ
Not yet marked complete.

Reading — colour-code

Copy six words. Underline the article. Circle the first root letter. Add a shadda only where needed.

Writing — mixed paragraph

Write 6–8 sentences using at least four Sun-letter nouns and four Moon-letter nouns.

Word count: 0

Not yet marked complete.
Sun and Moon Games · أَلْعَابُ الحُرُوفِ الشَّمْسِيَّةِ وَالقَمَرِيَّةِ

Practise Sun and Moon letters through sorting, shadda repair and timed challenges.

Error Clinic · عِيَادَةُ الأَخْطَاءِ

Common mistakes and how to repair them

Pronouncing the l
✗ al-shams
Correct
✓ ash-shams

Shīn is a Sun letter.

Deleting the written l
✗ اشَّمْس
Correct
✓ الشَّمْس

The ل remains in the spelling.

Adding shadda to a Moon letter
✗ القَّمَر
Correct
✓ القَمَر

Qāf is a Moon letter.

Ignoring assimilation
✗ al-nās
Correct
✓ an-nās

Nūn is a Sun letter.

Consolidate · رَاجِعْ وَأَثْبِتْ تَعَلُّمَكَ

Final mastery check

Sun and Moon Letters Review

1. What type is ن?
Nūn is a Sun letter.
2. What type is م?
Mīm is a Moon letter.
3. How is الشَّارِعُ pronounced?
Shīn assimilates the l sound.
4. Is the article always written?
الـ remains in the spelling.
Mission Complete · أَتْمَمْتَ المَهَمَّةَ

🎉 Script Mastery 02 complete

If you can do these confidently, you have mastered this chapter:

  • ✅ recognise all 14 Sun letters;
  • ✅ recognise all 14 Moon letters;
  • ✅ pronounce the definite article correctly;
  • ✅ use shadda with Sun letters;
  • ✅ keep the article in spelling;
  • ✅ read mixed words without relying on transliteration;
  • ⭐ complete the Script Playground challenges.
Next stop: Script Mastery 03 — الحَرَكَاتُ وَالعَلَامَاتُ الصَّوْتِيَّةُ · Vowels and Phonetic Marks
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