Makharij table of the letters

Islam > Quran > Tajweed > Makharij table of the letters

Updated on 04 October 2026 at 11:01 PM

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The table of the makharij

The makharij are divided into 5 zones (the jawf, the halq, the tongue, the two lips, and the khayshoum) comprising 17 specific makharij, according to the opinion of Khalil ibn Ahmad chosen by Imam Ibn al-Jazari. The following table summarizes them, from the deepest to the outermost.

ZoneMakhrajLetters that emerge from it
The jawf (the cavity)1. The jawf: the space extending from the throat to the mouth, an undelimited makhrajThe mujawwaf alif, and the waw and the ya sakin preceded by the vowel corresponding to them (the letters of madd and of leen)
The halq (the throat)2. Aqsa al-halq: the deepest part of the throat, toward the chestThe hamza and the ha (ح)
3. Wast al-halq: the middle of the throatThe ayn and the ha (ح)
4. Adna al-halq: the closest to the mouthThe ghayn and the kha
The tongue5. Aqsa al-lisan: the farthest from the mouth, toward the throat, together with the part of the hard palate facing itThe qaf
6. A little closer to the mouth than the previous one: the makhraj of the kafThe kaf
7. The middle of the tongue facing the middle of the hard palateThe jim, the sheen and the ya (non-madd)
8. The back of the tip of the tongue pressed against the roots of the upper incisors, with closure and elevation toward the palateThe emphatic ta (with itbaq and isti'aalah), the dal and the ta (without isti'aalah)
9. The back of the tip of the tongue pressed against the tops of the upper incisorsThe emphatic za (with isti'aalah), the dhal and the tha (without isti'aalah)
10. The tip of the tongue pressed against the upper incisorsThe noon
11. The same makhraj, a little closer to the back and without pressing against the incisorsThe ra
12. The head of the tongue, near the incisors, leaving a small passage for the airThe seen
13. The edge of the tongue (right, left or both) with the adjacent upper molarsThe dad (the most difficult makhraj)
14. The front edge of the tongue, from the dad up to the teeth, facing the inner side of the teethThe lam (the widest makhraj)
The two lips15. The inner part of the lower lip with the tips of the upper incisors, without squeezingThe fa
16. Between the two lipsThe waw (without closure), the ba and the meem (with closure)
The khayshoum (the nasal cavity)17. The top of the nose: the makhraj of the ghunnah, which is the sifat of the noon and the meem in idghaam, ikhfa and shaddahThe ghunnah of the noon and the meem

The secondary letters

Added to these original letters are the secondary letters, which are pronounced between two makharij or hesitate between two letters or two sifat (the hamza mushkila, the alif mumala of مَجْرَاهَا, the seen mashma', the ya mashma', and the mushabba'a and mukhaffaya letters). They are detailed in the sheet The division of the letters of the alphabet.

The divergent opinions on the number

The count of 17 makharij is that of Khalil ibn Ahmad, chosen by Imam Ibn al-Jazari. Sibawayh and his followers count 16, by joining the jawfiyya alif to the hamza, and al-Farra' and his companions count 14, by making the lam, the noon and the ra a single makhraj. The detail of this divergence is given in the sheet The divisions of the makharij.

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