What is a makhraj?
A makhraj (plural makhārij) is the place where a letter is produced. If a letter leaves its makhraj, it becomes a different letter – for example س and ص, or ك and ق. Knowing the makharij is therefore the foundation of all tajweed.
How to find a letter's makhraj
Put a sukun on the letter and a hamza with a vowel before it: أَبْ، أَقْ، أَعْ. Where the sound stops is the makhraj.
The five areas
- Al-Jawf (the empty space of mouth and throat): the three long vowel letters – ا after fatha, و sakinah after damma, ي sakinah after kasra. They have no fixed point; the sound ends when the breath ends.
- Al-Ḥalq (the throat): six letters in three levels:
- deepest part: ء ه
- middle: ع ح
- closest to the mouth: غ خ
- Al-Lisān (the tongue): the largest area with 18 letters, e.g. ق and ك at the back of the tongue, ج ش ي in the middle, ض along the side, ل ن ر at the tip, ط د ت, ص س ز, and ظ ذ ث with the tongue tip touching the upper front teeth.
- Ash-Shafatān (the lips): ف (inner lower lip with the upper teeth), and ب م و (both lips – closed for ب and م, rounded for و).
- Al-Khayshūm (the nasal cavity): the place of the ghunnah, the nasal sound in ن and م.
Typical mistakes
- Pronouncing ع like a hamza, or ح like a normal h.
- Pronouncing ث and ذ like s and z – the tongue tip must come out slightly between the teeth.
- Pronouncing ق like ك – ق comes from further back and is heavy.
- Rounding the lips for ف.
Practice tip
Take one area per day. Say each letter with sukun after a hamza (أَحْ، أَعْ) in front of a mirror, and feel where the sound stops. Then compare pairs: ه/ح, ء/ع, س/ص, ت/ط, د/ض, ذ/ظ.