The word for “the”
Arabic does not have a separate word for “the”. Instead, ال (alif and lām) is joined to the front of the noun: كِتَاب (kitāb) is “a book” and الْكِتَاب (al-kitāb) is “the book”.
The alif at the start is not pronounced when the word follows another word in a sentence; you hear the lām join onto the previous word. This article focuses on what happens to the lām itself.
Moon letters: the l is pronounced
With moon letters (al-ḥurūf al-qamariyyah), the lām is pronounced clearly. It is named after الْقَمَر (al-qamar, the moon), where you hear al-qamar.
- الْحَمْدُ (al-ḥamdu): the praise
- الْكِتَابُ (al-kitābu): the book
- الْيَوْم (al-yawm): the day
In a vowelled text, the lām before a moon letter carries a sukūn (ـْ).
Sun letters: the l disappears
With sun letters (al-ḥurūf ash-shamsiyyah), the lām is silent and the first letter of the word is doubled instead. It is named after الشَّمْس (ash-shams, the sun), which is pronounced ash-shams, not al-shams.
- الرَّحْمَٰن (ar-Raḥmān): the Most Merciful
- النَّاس (an-nās): mankind
- الصِّرَاط (aṣ-ṣirāṭ): the path
In a vowelled text, the lām has no mark and the sun letter after it carries a shaddah (ـّ), showing that it is doubled.
Spotting them in Surah Al-Fatihah
Al-Fatihah contains both kinds. Try reading these and listen for the lām:
- الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ (al-ḥamdu lillāh): moon letter ح
- الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ (ar-Raḥmāni r-Raḥīm): sun letter ر
- الْمُسْتَقِيمَ (al-mustaqīm): moon letter م
- الضَّالِّينَ (aḍ-ḍāllīn): sun letter ض
An easy way to remember
Sun letters are mostly made with the tip of the tongue near the teeth, the same place the l sound is made. That is why the l blends into them. Moon letters are made further back in the mouth or with the lips, so the l stays separate. Say a few aloud and you will feel the difference.
There are exactly 14 of each, which makes them easy to check.
