Moroccan Arabic, from English

28282828282828282828

28 letters, four shapes each

Turn a card over. The back tells you what that letter costs an English speaker, with a Darija word that uses it.

• [ʾalif]01اa+

  You have it. Mostly a long a. It also carries a vowel at the start of a word, where it has no sound of its own.

  مَاشِيmashi, not, no

• [bāʾ]02بb+

  You have it. Your b. Nothing to fix.

  بَابْbab, door

• [tāʾ]03تt+

  Watch out. Your t comes with a puff of air, and the tongue sits behind the teeth. Arabic ت has no puff and touches the teeth themselves.

  بِيتْbit, room

• [thāʾ]04ثt+

  You have it. The th of “think”, in classical Arabic. In Darija it is almost always a plain t: tlata.

  ثْلَاثَةtlata, three

• [jīm]05جj+

  You have it. In Darija it is the s of “measure”, not the j of “jam”. The sound is yours; the spelling is what misleads.

  جُوجْjuj, two

• [ḥāʾ]06ح7+

  New sound. Not your h. A breath pushed through a tightened throat, like fogging a window while bearing down. Your h is ه, another letter.

  حُوتْ7ut, fish

• [khāʾ]07خkh+

  New sound. The ch of Scottish “loch”: a rasp at the back of the mouth. A Spanish speaker has it for free. You will need practice.

  خُبْزْkhobz, bread

• [dāl]08دd+

  You have it. Your d, with the tongue a touch further forward, on the teeth.

  دَارْdar, house

• [dhāl]09ذd+

  You have it. The th of “this”, in classical Arabic. In Darija it is almost always a plain d: dib.

  ذِيبْdib, wolf

• [rāʾ]10رr+

  Watch out. Your r never touches the roof of the mouth. This one does: it is the quick tap in the middle of “butter”.

  رَاسْras, head

• [zāy]11زz+

  You have it. The z of “zoo”. Nothing to fix.

  زِينْzin, beautiful, good

• [sīn]12سs+

  You have it. Always s, never the z you hear in “rose”. Between vowels too.

  سُوقْsuq, market

• [shīn]13شsh+

  You have it. The sh of “ship”, exactly.

  شَمْسْshems, sun

• [ṣād]14صs+

  New sound. An s said with the tongue pulled back and the mouth hollow. The vowel beside it darkens. sif with ص is summer; with س, it is sword.

  صِيفْsif, summer

• [ḍād]15ضd+

  New sound. The heavy d. Tongue back, mouth hollow, as with ص. The vowels around it darken too.

  بِيضَةbida, egg

• [ṭāʾ]16طt+

  New sound. The heavy t. Same hollow mouth as ص, and no puff of air, which you will have to hold back.

  طْرِيقْtriq, road, way

• [ẓāʾ]17ظd+

  New sound. In classical Arabic a heavy th of “this”. In Darija it merges with ض: a heavy d.

  ظْلَامْdlam, darkness

• [ʿayn]18ع3+

  New sound. Not a vowel and not a pause. The throat tightens as for ح, but with voice. Nobody gets it right on day one.

  عِينْ3in, eye

• [ghayn]19غgh+

  New sound. The French r of “Paris”: a voiced rasp at the back of the mouth. Think of a soft gargle.

  غَدَّاghedda, tomorrow

• [fāʾ]20فf+

  You have it. Your f. Nothing to fix.

  فُمّْfomm, mouth

• [qāf]21قq+

  New sound. A k made much further back, where you would gargle. Swap it for k and qelb, heart, turns into kelb, dog.

  قَلْبْqelb, heart

• [kāf]22كk+

  You have it. Your k, minus the puff of air that follows it in “kite”.

  كَاسْkas, glass

• [lām]23لl+

  Watch out. Keep it light, like the l of “leaf”, even at the end of a word. The dark l of “feel” is not this.

  لِيلْlil, night

• [mīm]24مm+

  You have it. Your m. Nothing to fix.

  مَاكْلَةmakla, food

• [nūn]25نn+

  You have it. Your n. Nothing to fix.

  نْهَارْnhar, day

• [hāʾ]26هh+

  You have it. The h of “house”. The difference is that it is said everywhere, even before a consonant or at the end of a word.

  هْنَاhna, here

• [wāw]27وw+

  You have it. The w of “wet”. It also writes a long u.

  وَلْدْweld, boy, son

• [yāʾ]28يy+

  You have it. The y of “yes”. It also writes a long i.

  لْيُومْlyum, today

• [gāf]ڭg+

  You have it. The g of “go”. Classical Arabic has no letter for it, so Morocco added one.

  ڭَاعْga3, all, at all

Plus one letter Morocco added: ڭ, for the g of Darija.