Twin letters in Arabic: one dot makes the difference

What’s inside

• Which letter is “jīm”, the “j” sound in “jam”? Hint: one dot inside, at the bottom.
• Which letter is “khāʾ”, the rasping “kh” in Scottish “loch”? Hint: one dot above.
• Which letter is “ḥāʾ”, a breathy “h” from deep in the throat? Hint: no dot at all.
• The letters ج, ح and خ share the same shape; only the dots tell them apart.
• Which letter is “dāl”, the “d” sound? Hint: a small angled shape, no dot.
• Which letter is “dhāl”, the soft “th” in “this”? Hint: it is dāl with a dot.
• Which letter is “zāy”, the “z” sound? Hint: it is rāʾ with a dot.
• The letter ر (rāʾ) is pronounced like the rolled “r” of Spanish or Italian.