د (dâl) is the 10th letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced d, as in “dog”, as in دست (dast, hand).
How to write د (dâl)
Persian is written from right to left, and most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. These are the four forms of د:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| د | د | ـد | ـد |
د is one of the seven Persian letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so the next letter starts a new group, as in مدرسه.
How to pronounce د (dâl)
Like English d in "dog", with the tongue touching just behind the upper teeth.
Persian words with د
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where د is |
|---|---|---|---|
| دست | dast | hand | start |
| دوست | dust | friend | start |
| دریا | daryâ | sea | start |
| مدرسه | madrese | school | middle |
| پدر | pedar | father | middle |
| صندلی | sandali | chair | middle |
| باد | bâd | wind | end |
| سفید | sefid | white | end |
Good to know
- د is one of the seven letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و).
- Most Persian infinitives end in –دن or –تن, as in خوردن (khordan, to eat).
- د and ذ have the same shape; ذ has one dot above.
Quiz: the letter د
Check yourself on د (dâl): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does د (dâl) make?
2. Which word starts with د?
3. What does دوست (dust) mean?
4. Does د join the letter that comes after it?
5. What is the name of the letter د?
6. Where is د in the word مدرسه (madrese, school)?
7. What is the position of د in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- D. d: د is pronounced d. Like English d in “dog”, with the tongue touching just behind the upper teeth.
- C. دست (dast): دست (dast) means “hand” and begins with د.
- C. friend: دوست (dust) means “friend”.
- B. No, it never joins the next letter: د is one of the seven letters that never join the next letter: ا د ذ ر ز ژ و.
- B. dâl: د is called dâl.
- A. In the middle: In مدرسه, د comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- B. 10th: د is the 10th letter: ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
Common questions
How do you pronounce د in Persian?
د (dâl) is pronounced d. Like English d in “dog”, with the tongue touching just behind the upper teeth.
Does د connect to the next letter?
No. د is one of the seven letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so it has only two forms.
The Farsi alphabet (Farsi: /alefbâye fârsi/ الفبای فارسی) consists 32 letters, most of which have two forms, short and full. In Farsi, words are written from right to left while numbers are written from left to right. Farsi is a writing style based on the Arabic script. It is entirely written cursively. That is, the majority of letters in a word connect to each other. Therefore, the appearance of a letter changes depending on its position: beginning (joined on the left), middle (joined on both sides), end (joined on the right) of a word and some letters are written isolated.
This writing style is also implemented on computers. Whenever the Farsi script is typed, the computer connects the letters to each other.
Following is a table showing the Farsi alphabet and how it is pronounced in English. There are also some examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| ح | چ | ج | ث | ت | پ | ب | الف |
| ش | س | ژ | ز | ر | ذ | د | خ |
| ق | ف | غ | ع | ظ | ط | ض | ص |
| ی | ه | و | ن | م | ل | گ | ک |
د
“د” /dâl/ is the tenth letter of the Persian alphabet. It only has one format. “د” only joins the preceding letters in Persian words. It sounds /de/ like “d” in “dog”.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| داد | حَد | خُدا |
| Previous< | >Next |
Take this lesson further
Serious about Persian? Get all 30 of our Persian learning books for $199.99 (55% less than buying them one by one).
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.
Practise with free Persian games
Read Enthusiastically
Listen Carefully
Practice! Practice! Practice!
Communicate!
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.
Practise with free Persian games
Free Persian Starter Pack: Alphabet + 100 Core Words
Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.