The Definite Article Overview

There is no separate word for ‘a’ or ‘an’ in Arabic. So ‘a book’ is simply كِتَاب kitāb. To make a noun definite we add the ال or the ‘definite article’

Sun and Moon Letters الحروف الشمسية والقمرية

The pronunciation of the ال changes depending on the alphabet succeeding it. 

If it is succeeded by one of the sun letters الحروف الشمسية the ل is assimilated and the initial letter of the noun is pronounced with a shaddah (ـّـ) as in الشَّمس as-shams.

If it is succeeded by one of the moon letters الحروف القمرية then the ال is pronounced distinctively as in اَلْقَمَر al-qamar.

Half of the letters of the Arabic alphabet are shamsiyyah, while the other half are qamariyyah.

The 14 Sun-letters are: (ﻥ ,ﻝ ,ﻅ ,ﻁ ,ﺽ ,ﺹ ,ﺵ ,ﺱ ,ﺯ ,ﺭ ,ﺫ ,ﺩ ,ﺙ ,ﺕ).

The 14 Moon-letters are: ( ه ,ﻱ ,ﻭ ,ﻡ ,ﻙ ,ﻕ ,ﻑ ,ﻍ ,ﻉ ,ﺥ ,ﺡ ,ﺝ ,ﺏ ,أ).

Here are some examples for both:

Moon letters	Sun letters
ّالحَج  the pilgrimage	الشَّبَّاك the window
الجِبَال the mountain	النَّوم sleep (noun)
اليَد  the hand	التُّفَّاح the apple
العَين the eye	السَّمَاء the sky
البَحر the sea	الدِّين the religion

The Hamzat Al-Waṣl

Note that the alif in the definite article is hamzat al-waṣl. This means:

• If the word is initial the hamza is pronounced as a short vowel (fathah). For example, الكِتَاب al-kitāb.
• If it is preceded by another word then the hamza drops out completely to ensure a smooth transition with the vowel that the previous word ends with. For example,

The Tanwīn

The definite article always removes the tanwīn: