ظ (zâ) is the 20th letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced z, as in “zoo” (used in words borrowed from Arabic), as in ظهر (zohr, noon).
How to write ظ (zâ)
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 ظ:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| ظ | ظـ | ـظـ | ـظ |
ظ joins the letter that comes after it.
How to pronounce ظ (zâ)
Pronounced like a plain z, as in "zoo". In Persian it sounds exactly the same as ذ, ز and ض.
In standard Iranian Persian, ظ sounds exactly like ذ and ز and ض, so you learn the spelling of each word as you meet it. Most words spelled with ظ come from Arabic.
Persian words with ظ
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where ظ is |
|---|---|---|---|
| ظهر | zohr | noon | start |
| ظرف | zarf | dish, container | start |
| ظریف | zarif | delicate, elegant | start |
| نظر | nazar | opinion, view | middle |
| منظره | manzare | view, scenery | middle |
| حافظه | hâfeze | memory | middle |
| حافظ | hâfez | keeper; also the poet Hafez | end |
| خداحافظ | khodâhâfez | goodbye | end |
Good to know
- ظ is the rarest of the four z letters and appears almost only in words of Arabic origin.
- The everyday goodbye خداحافظ (khodâhâfez) ends with ظ.
Quiz: the letter ظ
Check yourself on ظ (zâ): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does ظ (zâ) make?
2. Which word starts with ظ?
3. What does ظرف (zarf) mean?
4. Does ظ join the letter that comes after it?
5. Which letter is pronounced the same as ظ?
6. Where is ظ in the word نظر (nazar, opinion, view)?
7. What is the position of ظ in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- C. z: ظ is pronounced z. Pronounced like a plain z, as in “zoo”.
- D. ظهر (zohr): ظهر (zohr) means “noon” and begins with ظ.
- A. dish, container: ظرف (zarf) means “dish, container”.
- C. Yes, it joins the next letter: ظ joins the next letter, so it has four forms.
- A. ذ: ظ and ذ sound the same (z) in standard Iranian Persian.
- A. In the middle: In نظر, ظ comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- B. 20th: ظ is the 20th 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 ظ in Persian?
ظ (zâ) is pronounced z. Pronounced like a plain z, as in “zoo”. In Persian it sounds exactly the same as ذ, ز and ض.
Does ظ connect to the next letter?
Yes. ظ joins the letter after it, so it has four forms: on its own, at the start, in the middle and at the end of a word.
Which letters sound like ظ?
In standard Iranian Persian ظ is pronounced the same as ذ and ز and ض.
Why does Persian have four letters for the z sound?
Persian borrowed many words from Arabic, where ذ, ز, ض and ظ were four different sounds. Persian kept the Arabic spellings but pronounces all four as z.
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 |
ظ
“ظ” called “zâ” is the twentieth letter of the Persian alphabet. It only has one form and joins to the preceding and following letters in Persian words. “ظ” sounds /ze/ like “z” in “zipper”.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| ظَرف | ظالِم | حِفظ |
| Previous< | >Next |
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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.