One of the first things I explain to new Tajweed students is that Arabic letters are not simply sounds, they are sounds produced from specific physical locations in the mouth, throat, and nose. The Arabic grammatical tradition identified 17 of these locations, called Makharij (singular: Makhraj), and organised all 28 Arabic letters according to which Makhraj each letter comes from.
Understanding makharij articulation points is the reason some students suddenly begin producing accurate Arabic sounds after months of approximating them. When you know exactly where a letter is supposed to come from, you have something physical to aim for, not an abstract sound impression, but a specific place.
This guide maps all 17 points, grouped by region, with the letters that come from each one.
The five main regions of articulation
The 17 Makharij are distributed across five main regions: the chest/throat area (Al-Jawf and Al-Halq), the tongue (Al-Lisan), the lips (Al-Shafatain), and the nose (Al-Khayshum). Working from back to front is the clearest way to understand the system.
Region 1: Al-Jawf (the open chest/throat)
Makhraj 1: The empty space of the mouth and throat is the origin of the three long vowel sounds: the long Alif (آ), the long Waw (وْ with a dhamma), and the long Ya' (يْ with a kasra). These are not consonants, they are extended vowel sounds that emerge from open resonance rather than a specific physical contact point.
When these sounds are produced incorrectly, it's usually because the preceding vowel is too short or the throat is tightened. The correction is to let the sound stretch while keeping the throat open.
Region 2: Al-Halq (the throat), three Makharij
Makhraj 2 (deepest throat): The two letters Hamza (ء) and Ha' (هـ) originate from the deepest part of the throat. Ha' is the breathed-out aspiration; Hamza is the glottal stop. Western English speakers typically produce neither of these from the correct location, Hamza especially tends to get swallowed or omitted.
Makhraj 3 (middle throat): 'Ain (ع) and Ha' (ح) come from the middle of the throat. The 'Ain is the letter that causes most Western Quran learners the most difficulty. It requires a specific constriction of the middle throat that produces a sound unlike anything in English. The ح is a voiceless version from the same area, a scraping breath from the mid-throat.
Makhraj 4 (upper throat): Ghain (غ) and Kha' (خ) come from near the back of the tongue where it meets the upper throat. Ghain sounds like a gargled "r" as in French. Kha' is the voiceless version, the German "ch" in "Bach." These are easier for many Western students than the mid-throat letters because similar sounds exist in other European languages.
These three throat Makharij together account for many of the pronunciation errors in the 10 most common Tajweed mistakes Western Muslims make. Students who approximate ع as "a", ح as "h", or غ as "g" are producing letters from entirely the wrong region.
Region 3: Al-Lisan (the tongue), ten Makharij
The tongue has the most Makharij, ten, because of the range of positions the tongue can take, from the back to the tip, touching different parts of the mouth.
Makhraj 5 (back tongue against soft palate): Qaf (ق) is produced with the back of the tongue pressing against the soft palate. This is the "deep q"not the English "k" sound but a sound produced from further back. The K-equivalent in Arabic (Kaf, ك) comes from a slightly more forward position.
Makhraj 6 (back tongue against hard palate): Kaf (ك) comes from the back of the tongue touching the front of the soft palate, slightly forward from where Qaf is produced.
Makhraj 7 (middle tongue against hard palate): Jim (ج), Shin (ش), and Ya' (ي as a consonant) come from the middle of the tongue pressing against the middle of the hard palate. The Jim in Egyptian Arabic is a hard "g"but in standard Quran recitation and most other traditions, it is the soft "j" sound, produced from this same Makhraj.
Makhraj 8 (front sides of tongue against upper teeth): Dad (ض) is produced from the sides of the tongue pressing against the upper back teeth and gum line. This is a laterally-produced sound unlike anything in English, and is one of the most frequently mispronounced letters in Western recitation. It is not a "d" sound, not even a heavy "d."
Makhraj 9 (front edge of tongue against upper gum line): Lam (ل) comes from the front edge of the tongue touching the gum line behind the upper front teeth, from both sides.
Makhraj 10 (tip of tongue against upper gum line): Nun (ن) comes from the tip of the tongue touching the gum line, slightly back from where Lam makes contact.
Makhraj 11 (tip of tongue against the area between upper teeth): Ra' (ر) comes from the tip of the tongue tapping the area just behind the upper front teeth. Ra' has its own Tajweed rules for when it is "heavy" (tafkheem) and when it is "light" (tarqeeq), both related to the vowels surrounding it.
Makhraj 12 (tip of tongue against upper front teeth, dental sounds): Ta' (ط), Dal (د), and Ta' (ت) all come from the tip of the tongue touching the back of the upper front teeth. The difference between them is voicing and emphasis: ط is emphatic and voiced, د is regular and voiced, ت is regular and voiceless.
Makhraj 13 (interdental, tip of tongue between teeth): Tha' (ث), Thal (ذ), and Thal (ظ) are produced with the tip of the tongue placed lightly between the upper and lower front teeth, similar to the English "th" sounds. ظ is the emphatic version of ذ.
Makhraj 14 (tip and back of tongue together): Sad (ص), Zay (ز), and Sin (س) are the "sibilants"the S-family sounds in Arabic. Sin is the plain S. Zay is the Z. Sad is the emphatic, heavy S, produced with a slightly retracted tongue and distinct from the plain Sin.
Understanding the Makharij is the foundation of accurate Tajweed, and the clearest way to stop approximating Arabic sounds. If you'd like to work through these pronunciation points with a live teacher who can hear what you're producing, book a free trial here.
Region 4: Al-Shafatain (the two lips), two Makharij
Makhraj 15 (inner lower lip against upper front teeth): Fa' (ف) is the labiodental fricative, the same position as the English "f." Lower lip touching the upper front teeth.
Makhraj 16 (both lips together): Ba' (ب), Mim (م), and Waw (و as a consonant) come from the lips pressed together or rounded. Ba' is the lip-stop; Mim is the nasal lip-closure (the M sound); Waw is the lip-rounded glide, like a "w" but with more lip rounding than English typically produces.
Region 5: Al-Khayshum (the nose), one Makhraj
Makhraj 17 (nasal passage): The nasal cavity is the Makhraj for Ghunna, the nasal resonance that applies to Nun and Mim under specific Tajweed conditions. This is not a letter in itself but a characteristic quality: the nasal sound that carries through Ikhfa, Idgham with Ghunna, and the Shaddah forms of Nun and Mim.
For beginners, Ghunna is often the first Tajweed concept where the Makhraj understanding becomes directly practical, you can physically feel whether the nasal passage is resonating or not by touching the bridge of your nose while producing the sound.
How to use this map practically
Reading a list of Makharij doesn't fix pronunciation. What the list gives you is a physical target. When a teacher tells you your 'Ain (ع) is wrong, you now know that 'Ain comes from the middle throat and you need to find that constriction. You have something to practise.
The letters that cause the most consistent problems for English-speaking students, in my teaching experience, are: ع، ح، ق، ض، ص، ط، ظ. These all come from Makharij that have no direct equivalent in English. Working through each one with physical awareness of the Makhraj, and with a teacher correcting what she hears, is the fastest way to address these sounds accurately.
The beginner Tajweed guide gives the broader context of where Makharij fit within Tajweed as a whole. The Madd, Ghunna and Ikhfa article covers the practical rules that the Makharij knowledge supports.
For the Tajweed classes I teach, Makharij is covered systematically in the first phase of instruction, not as abstract theory but as practical identification and drilling of each letter from its correct position.
If you want to work through your specific pronunciation gaps with a teacher listening in real time, book a trial at /free-trial. I'll identify exactly which Makharij are giving you trouble and we'll work on them directly.
The 17 Makharij are a complete system. Once you have a map of all of them, every letter in the Quran has a physical address, and fixing pronunciation becomes a matter of finding the right location rather than guessing at what sounds better.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many makharij (articulation points) are there in Arabic?
There are 17 makharij (articulation points) in Arabic, and all 28 letters are produced from one of them. They are spread across five regions: the open chest and throat (Al-Jawf), the throat (Al-Halq), the tongue (Al-Lisan), the lips (Al-Shafatain), and the nose (Al-Khayshum).
Where does the throat letter 'Ain (ع) come from?
The letter 'Ain (ع) comes from the middle of the throat (Makhraj 3), the same region as Ha' (ح). It requires a specific constriction of the middle throat and is the single letter that causes Western Quran learners the most difficulty because there is no equivalent sound in English.
Which Arabic letters are hardest for English speakers to pronounce?
The letters that most consistently trouble English-speaking students are ع، ح، ق، ض، ص، ط، ظ, because each one comes from a makhraj that has no direct equivalent in English. The fastest way to fix them is to work on each letter with physical awareness of its articulation point and a teacher correcting what she hears in real time.
Why does knowing the makharij actually improve pronunciation?
Knowing the makharij gives you a physical target rather than an abstract sound to imitate, so when a teacher says your 'Ain is wrong you know exactly where to find the correct location and practise it. Many students who approximated sounds for months begin producing accurate letters once they know the precise place each one comes from.
Where does the nasal Ghunna sound come from?
Ghunna comes from Al-Khayshum, the nasal passage (Makhraj 17), and it is the only makhraj dedicated to nasal resonance rather than a specific letter. You can physically feel whether it is working by touching the bridge of your nose while reciting, since it carries through Ikhfa, Idgham with Ghunna, and the Shaddah forms of Nun and Mim.
Updated June 2026.
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