Hamza is an Arabic letter. It’s one of the most unique letters in the Arabic language. This letter is very amazing as it has many different shapes. As the letter is unique, we will see many different rules for this letter. To know those fantastic rules, let’s start the journey of the Hamza.
What is Hamza Letter in Arabic?
Hamza meaning in Arabic (ء) is a letter in the Arabic alphabet, which represents the glottal stop. Hamza sounds like the letter A, but it’s not a vowel. This letter is derived from the shape of the Arabic letter Ayn (ع). Hamza is not one of the 28 “full” letters. However, some scholars consider it the 29th or last letter of the Arabic alphabet.
Hamza Pronunciation
The Hamza (ء) is pronounced as a glottal stop.
- Sound: It is a brief, abrupt sound produced by closing and immediately releasing the vocal cords, temporarily blocking the flow of air.
- English Equivalent: It is similar to the sound heard in the middle of the English exclamation “uh-oh!” or the brief pause between “co-operate.”
- Function: It often marks the beginning of a word that starts with a vowel sound, or appears internally to separate two vowels or end a syllable.
Examples (Listen for the stop):
أَكَلَ (akala) – He ate (the stop is at the start).
سُؤَال (su’āl) – Question (the stop is in the middle).
سَمَاء (samā’) – Sky (the stop is at the end).
Types of Hamza:
In Arabic, we have two primary types of Hamza: Hamzat al-Wasl (همزة الوصل) and Hamzat al-Qat’ (همزة القطع). These two types of Hamza differ in their pronunciation rules and usage, and knowing them can help you read and write Arabic accurately.
1. Hamzat al-Wasl (همزة الوصل)
Hamzat al-Wasl, or the “connecting Hamza,” appears only at the beginning of words and is pronounced only when we start with that word. When we continue speaking, however, it disappears. This Hamza is found in specific situations, like with definite articles (ال) and in some verbs in their imperative form.
Examples of Hamzat al-Wasl:
- اِبن (ibn) – “son”
- اِبْنَة (ibnah) – “daughter”
- اِبْنَانِ (ibnāni) – “two sons”
- اِبْنَتَانِ (ibnatāni) – “two daughters”
- اِثْنَانِ (ithnāni) – “two (masculine)”
- اِثْنَتَانِ (ithnatāni) – “two (feminine)”
- اِسم (ism) – “name”
- اِسْمَانِ (ismāni) – “two names”
- اِمْرُؤ (imru’u) – “man”
- اِمْرَأَة (imra’ah) – “woman”
- اِمْرَآنِ (imrā’ani) – “two men”
- اِمْرَأَتَانِ (imra’atāni) – “two women”
- ايْمُ الله (aymu Allāh) – “by Allah”
- ايْمُنُ الله (aymunu Allāh) – “by the oath of Allah”
When you start with any of these words, Hamzat al-Wasl is pronounced. If you link them to a previous word, you skip it.
For example, when saying بِسْمِ اللَّهِ (Bismi-Allah) – “In the name of Allah,” you won’t pronounce the Hamza at the beginning of “اسم.”
2. Hamzat al-Qat’ (همزة القطع)
Hamzat al-Qat’, or “cutting Hamza,” is more common and is pronounced whether we start with the word or connect it to another word.
Hamzat al-Qat’ is written as (أ-إ) and can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Here’s a closer look at where it’s used across different categories.
A. Hamzat al-Qat’ In Letters
Hamzat al-Qat’ is found in all letters except the Arabic definite article ال (al-). For example:
- أنّ (anna) – “that”
- إنّ (inna) – “indeed”
- أو (aw) – “or”
- إلى (ilā) – “to”
- إلّا (illā) – “except”
The Hamza also appears in interrogative forms, like the questioning Hamza in أ (a), as well as in vocative forms for calling someone’s attention.
B. Hamzat al-Qat’ In Names
Hamzat al-Qat’ appears in nearly all names, with only a few exceptions (I have mentioned the specific names take Hamzat al-Wasl instead). Here are examples of names that include Hamzat al-Qat’:
- أحمد (Ahmad)
- أمل (Amal)
- إبراهيم (Ibrahim)
- أسد (Asad) – “lion”
- إسماعيل (Isma’il)
- إسلام (Islam)
- أحلام (Ahlam)
Hamzat al-Qat’ is also present in various pronouns, such as:
- أنتَ (anta) – “you” (masculine singular)
- أنتِ (anti) – “you” (feminine singular)
- أنتما (antumā) – “you” (dual form)
- أنتم (antum) – “you all” (plural)
3. Hamzat al-Qat’ In Verbs
Hamzat al-Qat’ appears in the following categories of verbs:
a. Past Tense and Verbal Nouns of Tri-Lettered Verbs:
Examples include:
- أكل (akala) >> أكلًا (aklan) – “he ate” / “eating”
- أخذ (akhadha) >> أخذًا (akhdan) – “he took” / “taking”
- أمر (amara) >> أمرًا (amran) – “he commanded” / “command”
b. Past Tense, Verbal Nouns, and Imperatives of Four-Lettered Verbs:
Examples include:
- أرسل (arsala) >> إرسالًا (irsālan) >> أرسل (arsil) – “he sent” / “sending” / “send!”
- أتقن (atqana) >> إتقانًا (itqānan) >> أتقن (atqin) – “he mastered” / “mastery” / “master!”
- أسلم (aslama) >> إسلامًا (islāman) >> أسلم (aslim) – “he submitted” / “submission” / “submit!”
c. Present Tense Verbs with Hamza at the Beginning:
Examples include:
- أستعمل (asta‘mil) – “I use”
- أعظ (a‘ith) – “I admonish”
- أسأل (as’al) – “I ask”
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Different forms of Hamza
We have different forms of Hamza(ء). So, we have an initial Hamza, and you can see it as follows (أ). We also have a medial Hamza (أ)
(ـئـ) (ـؤ) (ء). Moreover, we have a final Hamza, (أ) (ء) (ـؤ) (ئ). In the next part, we will discuss every form in detail.
Initial Hamza:
Hamza(ء) can have Fattah, Dammah or Kasrah. If it has Fattah or Dammah, Hamza will be placed above alif. For example, أَكَلَ and أُشَاهد. If it has Kasrah, it will be placed under alif. For example, إِسْلام . Initial Hamza always be on alif, you can’t see it on the line, or on a وwaw or dotless yaa ى.
Another type of Hamza we write at the beginning of the word we called it Hamzat wasl / هَمزَة الوَصْل. Hamzat al-wasl as we mentioned is an extra Hamzah at the beginning of a word, which is pronounced when we start the word, and it is dropped when joining the word that has Hamzat al-wasl with the previous word. It acts as a stepping stone to the next word. For example, الْحمد لله Alhamdulillah, when starting with it I will pronounce the Hamza, but when joining in قل الْحمد لله Qulilhamdulillah, I will not pronounce it.
Medial Hamza:
If the letter before Hamza has Fattah (-َ), the Hamza will be placed on alif. For example, رَأس.
If the letter before it has Kasrah (-ِ), the Hamza will be placed on a line (ـئـ). For example, دَافِئة.
If the letter before it has Dammah, the Hamza will be placed on و waw (ـؤ ). For example, فُؤاد.
If the letter before it has Sukoon, the Hamza will be written on the line alone (ء). For example, تَوْءم.
If the Hamza is in the middle and has a Fattah letter before Hamza has Maad alif, the Hamza will be written on the line alone (ء). For example, ساءَل- تساءَل- عباءَة.
Final Hamza:
If the letter before Hamza has Fattah, the Hamza will be placed on alif. For example, بَدَأ.
If the letter before it has Dammah, the Hamza will be placed on و waw (ـؤ ). For example, تَباطُؤ.
If the letter before it has Kasrah, the Hamza will be placed onى (ئ). For example, قَارئ.
If the letter before it has Sukoon or a long vowel (و,ا, or ي), the hamza will be written on the line (ء). For example, جَاء or مِلْء.
How to Write Hamza in Arabic?
The Hamza (ء) represents the glottal stop and is unique because it is both a letter and a diacritic. Its position depends entirely on the surrounding vowels.
1. Hamza with alif (أ):
We can see Hamza with Alif in different situations such as when Hamza comes at the beginning of the word. For example, أُشاهد. We also see it with alif when it comes at the middle and end of the word, and the letter before it has Fattah. For example, كَأس and يَقَرَأ.
2. Hamza with wow ؤ:
We can see Hamza with the letter wow in different situations such as when Hamza comes at the middle and end of the word and the letter before it has Dammah. For example, مُؤلم and يجرُؤْ.
3. Hamza with ya ئ:
We can see Hamza with the letter wow in different situations such as when Hamza comes at the end of the word, and the letter before it has Kasrah. For example, قَارِئ.
4. Hamza and Tanwīn
If the Hamza comes at the end of the word and this word has Tanwīn Damma or Kasrah, we put Tanwīn above the Hamza for Tanwīn Dammah or under it if it is Kasarah. For example:
| جزءٍ | جزءٌ |
| عبءٍ | عبءٌ |
| أسماءٍ | أسماءٌ |
| تبوُّءٍ | تبوُّءٌ |
For Tanwīn Fataah, we have three ways:
- If the Hamza is preceded by an Alif, we do not write an alif after it, and we put the Tanwīn above the Hamza. For example, أسماءً.
- If the final independent Hamza is preceded by a non-connecting letter, put Tanwīn on the Hamza and write an independent alif after جزءًا – تبوُّءًا
- If the final independent Hamza is preceded by a connecting letter, put Tanwīn on the Hamza on the tooth and follow with a connecting alif: عبئـًـا
5. Hamza without kursi
Hamza without kursi (chair) means that the Hamza will be alone on the line. We can see that in many situations. For example, if the Hamza is in the middle and the letter before Hamza has Sukoon, the Hamza will be written on the line alone (ء). For example, تَوْءم.
If the Hamza is in the middle and has a Fattah letter before Hamza has Maad alif, the Hamza will be written on the line alone (ء). For example, ساءَل- تساءَل- عباءَة.
If the hamza in the end and the letter before it has Sukoon or a long vowel (و,ا, ي), the hamza will be written on the line (ء). For example, جَاء or مِلْء.
To sum up, the basic rules for how to write hamza are as the following:
The Hamza can sit on different “seats” or bases: the Alif (ا), Waw (و), Ya (ي), or even by itself. Which seat it takes depends on the short vowels that come before and after it:
- If the Kasrah (i sound) is closest, the Hamza sits on Ya (ي).
- If the Dammah (u sound) is closest, it sits on Waw (و).
- If the Fatha (a sound) is closest, it sits on Alif (ا).
The Importance of Hamza in the Quran
In the Quran, Hamza is significant because of the strict rules of Tajweed, or Quranic pronunciation.
Hamza appears frequently in Quranic Arabic and has special rules, especially in recitation.
Incorrectly pronouncing or omitting Hamza can change the meaning of words in Arabic.
Our Arabic courses and Quran & Tajweed courses at Kalimah Center emphasize correct pronunciation, ensuring that students respect the language and the holy text.
How to Pronounce Letter Hamza
The letter hamza is defined as a glottal stop. The letter Hamza comes from the bottom of the throat from the vocals. Letter Hamza is produced by closing the vocal cords and then opening them. When you pronounce it, try to make the sound of this letter soft.
Imagine the sound between the two parts of “uh-oh” in English – that’s Hamza!
The difference between Hamza and Alif
Alif is a vowel letter, it has the sound of a long “A”. For example, the word كتاب (ketaab) is written with an alif by itself. It represents the long vowel “a”. So, The sound of Alif comes from an empty part of the mouth and the throat. However, Hamza is a consonant letter that represents a glottal stop. It is produced by closing the vocal cords and then opening them.
We can write it with or without an alif. You can see it with أ (alif), و (waw), and ي (ya). The Hamza occurs at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of words, while the alif madd occurs in the middle or at the end of words.
You can see Hrakah (Fattah, Dammah, or Kashrah) on Hamaza, but you can’t see it on Alif.
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FAQs about Hamza in Arabic
How to use ء?
You can write Hamza at the beginning, middle, or end of the word.
You can see it with أ (alif), و (waw), and ي (ya).
What are the two types of Hamza in Arabic?
There are two types of hamza in Arabic. They are Hamzat al qata / هَمزَة القطع. and Hamzat al-wasl/ هَمزَة الوَصْل.. Hamzat al qata is represented by the following symbol ( ء ) over or below it, while Hamzatul wasl is not accompanied by Hamza. Hamzat al qata is always pronounced whether it is preceded by some word or letter.
Other type of Hamza is Hamzat wasl / هَمزَة الوَصْل. Hamzat al-wasl is an extra Hamzah at the beginning of a word, which is pronounced when we start the word, and it is dropped when joining the word that has Hamzat al-wasl with the previous word. It acts as a stepping stone to the next word. For example, الْحمد لله Alhamdulillah, when starting with it I will pronounce the Hamza, but when joining in قل الْحمد لله Qulilhamdulillah, I will not pronounce it.
How do you write Hamza on an Arabic keyboard?
First, install an Arabic language-specific keyboard layout. If you have an Arabic keyboard, you will find it printed on the keyboard. If you have an English keyboard, we will find ء)) on letter (x),((ئ on the letter(z), and (ؤ) on the letter (c). Please take care, it may differ from one keyboard to another.
Is Hamza a throat letter?
Yes, Hamza in Arabic is a throat letter in Arabic. It is pronounced as a glottal stop. It is produced by closing the vocal cords and then opening them.
