---
title: "The Arabic letter ق (qāf): sound, forms and words"
description: "ق (qāf) is letter 21 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/qaf"
language: "en"
direction: "ltr"
---

# The Arabic letter ق (qāf): sound, forms and words

ق, called qāf, is letter 21 of the 28 in the Arabic alphabet. How it sounds: a deep k from the back of the throat. It joins the letter after it, so it has four written forms.

## How ق is written

- Alone: ق
- Start: ق‍
- Middle: ‍ق‍
- End: ‍ق

## Arabic words that begin with ق

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

- [قَهْوَة](https://fasaha.app/w/qahwa) — qahwa, coffee (A0)
- [قَلَم](https://fasaha.app/w/qalam) — qalam, pen, pencil (A0)
- [قَمَر](https://fasaha.app/w/qamar) — qamar, moon (A0)
- [قِصَّة](https://fasaha.app/w/qissa) — qiṣṣa, story, tale (A1)
- [قَصِير](https://fasaha.app/w/qasira) — qaṣīr, short (A1)
- [قَرَأَ](https://fasaha.app/w/aqrau) — qaraʾa, to read (A1)
- [قِرَاءَة](https://fasaha.app/w/qiraa) — qirāʾa, reading (A1)
- [قُرْآن](https://fasaha.app/w/quran) — qurʾān, the Qurʾan (A1)
- [قَبْلَ](https://fasaha.app/w/qabla) — qabla, before (A1)
- [قَلْب](https://fasaha.app/w/qalb) — qalb, heart (A1)
- [قَالَ](https://fasaha.app/w/qala) — qāla, to say (A1)
- [قُطْن](https://fasaha.app/w/qutn) — quṭn, cotton (A2)

## Questions about ق

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

ق (qāf) sounds like this: a deep k from the back of the throat.

### Does ق join the next letter?

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

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

ق is letter 21 of 28, after ف (fāʾ) and before ك (kāf).

- Previous letter: [ف (fāʾ)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/fa)
- Next letter: [ك (kāf)](https://fasaha.app/arabic-alphabet/kaf)

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