Ghayn (غ) — Arabic Letter Guide
A voiced "gh" — like a French "r" or German "r" — produced as a soft gargle at the back of the mouth.
Last updated: May 2026 · Letter 19 of 28
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Ghayn — ghayn (غَيْن)
- Transliteration
- gh
- IPA
- ɣ
- Unicode
- U+063A
- Keyboard
- Y
- Finger
- right index
- Connects?
- Yes — on both sides
What is the letter Ghayn?
Ghayn is the nineteenth letter of the Arabic alphabet. It shares its base shape with ayn (ع) and adds a single dot above. The sound is the voiced counterpart of kha — a velar/uvular fricative with vocal-cord vibration.
The four forms of Ghayn
Arabic letters change shape depending on their position in a word. Ghayn has four distinct forms:
| Position | Shape | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Isolated | غ | Standing alone |
| Initial | غـ | At the start of a word, connecting to the right |
| Medial | ـغـ | In the middle of a word, connecting on both sides |
| Final | ـغ | At the end of a word, connecting only on the right |
How to type Ghayn on Arabic keyboard
Arabic 101 key: press Y.
Finger: right index finger.
The key for Ghayn is mapped via the standard Arabic 101 keyboard layout, which is the default Arabic input source on Windows, macOS (as “Arabic - PC”), and most Linux distributions.
How to pronounce Ghayn
Position your mouth as for kha (خ), then add voice (vocal-cord vibration). Similar to a Parisian French "r" in "rouge". The voiced counterpart of kha.
Example words with Ghayn
Letters often confused with Ghayn
ayn
Same shape, no dot. Ayn is a deep throat sound; ghayn is a gargling "gh".
kha
Kha is the voiceless counterpart — same position, no voice. Sounds like Scottish "loch".
qaf
Qaf is a hard "q" further back in the throat — sometimes confused with ghayn but very different.
Build muscle memory for the whole alphabet
Knowing where Ghayn sits on the keyboard is one thing — being able to touch-type it without thinking is another. Our drills work through every letter in the alphabet with structured progression.
Frequently asked questions
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How do I type ghayn (غ) on the Arabic 101 keyboard?
Press the Y key — ghayn is reached by your right index finger from the top row.
Is ghayn the same as French "r"?
Very similar. Parisian French "r" (as in "rouge") is essentially the same sound as Arabic ghayn — a voiced uvular fricative. If you speak French, you already produce this sound.
How do I tell ghayn apart from ayn?
Visually: same shape, ghayn has a dot above, ayn has none. By sound: ghayn is a gargling 'gh'; ayn is a deeper, voice-strained throat sound. Different points of articulation entirely.
Related Arabic letters
Or see the full Arabic 101 keyboard layout.