Sifat al-huruf: the characteristics of the Arabic letters
Sifat al-huruf are the characteristics of the Arabic letters: how each one sounds once it leaves its point of articulation. They are why س and ص, or ت and ط, sound different even though they come from almost the same place. Here are all seventeen, with the letters that carry each one.
Last updated: 3 October 2026
Makharij tell you where, sifat tell you how
Every letter has a makhraj (point of articulation) and a set of sifat (characteristics). Two letters can share a makhraj: ت and ط are both pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the roots of the upper front teeth. What separates them is their sifat: ط is heavy, closed and strong, while ت is light, open and released with breath. Get the sifat wrong and one letter becomes another, which can change the meaning of a word.
The characteristics with opposites
These come in pairs: every letter has one side of each pair. The letters of the first side are gathered in a memorable phrase.
| Characteristic | What happens | Letters | Opposite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hams (whisper) | Breath flows with the letter | فَحَثَّهُ شَخْصٌ سَكَتَ | Jahr (audibility): Breath is held back |
| Shiddah (strength) | Sound is fully blocked | أَجِدْ قَطٍ بَكَتْ | Rakhawah (softness): Sound flows freely |
| Tawassut (in-between) | Between shiddah and rakhawah | لِنْ عُمَرْ | — |
| Isti‘la (elevation) | Back of the tongue rises: heavy letters | خُصَّ ضَغْطٍ قِظْ | Istifal (lowering): Tongue stays low: light letters |
| Itbaq (closing) | Tongue presses against the palate | ص ض ط ظ | Infitah (opening): Space remains between tongue and palate |
| Idhlaq (fluency) | Produced easily from the lips or tip of the tongue | فِرَّ مِن لُّبْ | Ismat (restraint): Produced with more effort |
The heavy letters of isti‘la are the basis of tafkheem and tarqeeq, and the strong, audible letters ق ط ب ج د are the ones that bounce in qalqalah.
The characteristics without opposites
| Characteristic | Letters | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Safir (whistle) | ص ز س | A whistling sound like a bird |
| Qalqalah (echo) | ق ط ب ج د | A bounce when the letter has a sukoon |
| Leen (ease) | و ي | When sakin after a fathah, as in خَوْف and بَيْت |
| Inhiraf (deviation) | ل ر | The sound turns away from its starting point |
| Takrir (repetition) | ر | The tongue tends to trill; it should be restrained, not rolled |
| Tafashshi (spreading) | ش | Air spreads through the mouth |
| Istitalah (lengthening) | ض | The sound runs along the side of the tongue |
Why sifat matter in practice
- ت and ط: ت has hams, so a little breath escapes; ط is fully closed and heavy.
- س and ص: both whistle (safir), but ص is heavy and closed, س light and open.
- ذ, ز and ظ: English speakers often merge them; ظ is heavy, ذ light, and ز whistles.
- ر: takrir is a tendency to avoid, not a rule to apply: the ra is not rolled.
These mistakes appear in our list of common tajweed mistakes. Sifat are hard to learn from text alone, because the difference is in the sound. Our tajweed course covers them letter by letter with a teacher who can hear you, and the full set of rules is in our tajweed rules guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many sifat are there?
Most tajweed books follow Ibn al-Jazari and list seventeen: ten in five opposite pairs (with an in-between category for shiddah and rakhawah) and seven without opposites.
What is the difference between makharij and sifat?
Makharij are where a letter is produced; sifat are how it is produced. Letters that share a makhraj, such as ت and ط, are told apart only by their sifat.
Do I need to memorise all the sifat?
Not to recite well, but knowing the main ones explains your teacher’s corrections: why ص is heavy, why ت needs breath, or why ر should not roll.
Hear the difference with a teacher
Three free one-to-one tajweed lessons. Every letter checked for its makhraj and its sifat.