Arabic: An Essential Grammar

7.3 Hamzah is used frequently, but the rules for writing it are quite

complicated and are therefore dealt with in more detail in chapter 20.

7.4 Since hamzah does not have a regular independent form, it is

mainly written on the letters أ, ؤ and ئ (without dots), and these three

letters are called seats or chairs for the hamzah.

7.5 Some basic rules for writing hamzah

The initial glottal stop hamzah /

/ is written above or below the letter

alif (^) ا and is pronounced before the vowel, according to the following
rules.
(a) Hamzah together with fath
̇
ah are written above the


alif: َأ /


a/,
e.g.
(b) Hamzah together with d
̇
ammah are written above the


alif: ُأ /


u/, e.g.
(c) Hamzah together with kasrah are both written under the


alif: ِإ
/


i/, e.g.
(d) Hamzah on


alif in the middle of the word, e.g.
(e) Hamzah on


alif at the end of the word, e.g.
َأ ْك ٌل َأ ْص ٌل َأ ْر ٌض


aklun, food


as
̇
lun, origin


ard
̇
un, earth, ground
ُأ ْخ ٌت مٌُّأ ُأ ُف ٌق


uh
̆
tun, sister


ummun, mother


ufuqun, horizon
ِإ ْص َب ٌع نَّ ِإ ِإ ْذ


is
̇
ba

un, finger


inna, that, indeed


id
̄
, if, when
َس َأ َل َر ْأ ٌي َر ْأ ٌس
sa


ala, to ask ra


yun, opinion ra


sun, head
َن َب ٌأ َق َر َأ َب َد َأ
naba


un, news qara


a, to read bada


a, to start, to begin
Hamzah
(hamzatu
l-qat
̇

i) and
the maddah
sign
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