What is Makhraj?
Arabic : مَخْرَجٌ: مَكانُ خُرُوجِ الحُرُوفِ. يُؤثِّرُ في التَّجويدِ وَالتَّلاوَةِ الصَّحِيحَةِ لِلْقُرْآنِ
English : The areas of the mouth from which the Arabic alphabets are pronounced are called Makhraj.
The Parts of the Mouth:
1. Jawf (Empty Space in the Mouth)
- When you pronounce jawf letters, your tongue is relaxed at the bottom of your mouth. Air simply flows out of your mouth.
- Jawf letters include: Alif with a jabar before it, Wow sakin with a pesh before it, and Yaa sakin with a jer before it.
2. Halq (Throat)
The throat has three different Makharij:
- Aqsal halq (lowest part of the throat, close to the chest): Letters from this area include ء and ه.
- Wastal halq (middle part of the throat): Letters include ع and ح.
- Adnal halq (highest part of the throat): Letters include غ and خ.
3. Lisan (Tongue)
There are a few Makharij on the tongue.
- Aqsal Lisaan (Deepest Part of the Tongue): The Makhraj of ق is at the back of the tongue, hitting the soft palate. ك is right in front of ق, hitting the hard palate.
- Wastul Lisaan (Middle of the Tongue): Makhraj for Zeem, Sheen, and Yea is in the middle of the tongue, touching the top of the mouth.
- Hafatul Lisaan (Sides of the Tongue): ض can be pronounced with the left side, right side, or both sides of the tongue touching the gums. ل is pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the gums, moving from one side to the other.
- Tarful Lisaan (Front Tip of Tongue): ن is slightly behind ل, touching the palate above it. ر is slightly behind ن, touching the palate above it. ت, د, and ط are pronounced with the front tip of the tongue touching the gumline of the top front teeth. ص, س, ز are pronounced with the front tip of the tongue touching the back of the bottom front teeth.
- ث, ظ, ذ are pronounced from the front tip of the tongue touching the tip of the top front teeth.
4. Shafatan (Both Lips)
- The Makhraj of م is when the dry parts of the top and bottom lips touch.
- The Makhraj of ب is when the wet parts of the top and bottom lips touch.
- The Makhraj of و is when the lips touch but not completely; they should be rounded.
5. Khoishum (Nose)
- Only one letter comes from the nose, and that’s ن.
These descriptions should help you understand where the sounds of Arabic letters come from in your mouth more easily.
