---
title: "The Arabic letter ه (hāʾ): sound, forms and words"
description: "ه (hāʾ) is letter 26 of 28 in the Arabic alphabet: how it sounds, how it is written at the start, middle and end of a word, and Arabic words that begin with it."
canonical: "https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/ha"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter ه (hāʾ): sound, forms and words

ه, called hāʾ, is letter 26 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: a soft h. It joins the letter after it, so it has four written forms.

## How ه is written

- Alone: ه
- Start: ه‍
- Middle: ‍ه‍
- End: ‍ه

## Arabic words that begin with ه

From the Fasaha dictionary, easiest first. Each word opens its own page with meaning, root and forms.

- [هَذِهِ](https://fasaha.app/w/hadhihi) — hādhihi, this (feminine) (A0)
- [هَذَا](https://fasaha.app/w/hadha) — hādhā, this (masculine) (A0)
- [هَمْزَة](https://fasaha.app/w/hamza) — hamza, hamza (the glottal stop) (A0)
- [هِيَ](https://fasaha.app/w/hiya) — hiya, she; it (A0)
- [هُوَ](https://fasaha.app/w/huwa) — huwa, he; it (A0)
- [هُنَا](https://fasaha.app/w/huna) — hunā, here (A0)
- [هُنَاكَ](https://fasaha.app/w/hunaka) — hunāka, there (A0)
- [هَادِئ](https://fasaha.app/w/hadi) — hādiʾ, calm, quiet (A1)
- [هَدِيَّة](https://fasaha.app/w/hadiyya) — hadiyya, gift (A1)
- [هِنْدِيّ](https://fasaha.app/w/hindi) — hindī, Indian (A2)
- [هَدَى](https://fasaha.app/w/hada) — hadā, to guide (B1)

## Questions about ه

### How do you pronounce the Arabic letter ه?

ه (hāʾ) sounds like this: a soft h.

### Does ه join the next letter?

Yes. ه joins the letter after it, so it has separate start, middle and end shapes: ه‍, ‍ه‍, ‍ه.

### What number is ه in the Arabic alphabet?

ه is letter 26 of 28, after ن (nūn) and before و (wāw).

- Previous letter: [ن (nūn)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/nun)
- Next letter: [و (wāw)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/waw)

[All 28 letters in the alphabet chart](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet-chart)