خ (khe) is the 9th letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced kh, like “ch” in Scottish “loch”, as in خانه (khâne, house).
How to write خ (khe)
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 خ:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| خ | خـ | ـخـ | ـخ |
خ joins the letter that comes after it.
How to pronounce خ (khe)
A rough sound made by raising the back of the tongue toward the soft palate and pushing air through, like ch in Scottish "loch" or German "Bach". English has no such sound.
Persian words with خ
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where خ is |
|---|---|---|---|
| خانه | khâne | house | start |
| خوب | khub | good | start |
| خواهر | khâhar | sister | start |
| دختر | dokhtar | girl | middle |
| سخت | sakht | hard, difficult | middle |
| یخچال | yakhchâl | refrigerator | middle |
| تلخ | talkh | bitter | end |
| یخ | yakh | ice | end |
Good to know
- خ is ح with one dot above.
- In words that start with خوا, the و is not pronounced: خواهر is khâhar (sister), خواب is khâb (sleep).
- Do not say خ as k; خوب (khub, good) and کوب (kub) are different.
Quiz: the letter خ
Check yourself on خ (khe): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does خ (khe) make?
2. Which word starts with خ?
3. What does خوب (khub) mean?
4. Does خ join the letter that comes after it?
5. What is the name of the letter خ?
6. Where is خ in the word دختر (dokhtar, girl)?
7. What is the position of خ in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- C. kh: خ is pronounced kh. A rough sound made by raising the back of the tongue toward the soft palate and pushing air through, like ch in Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”.
- B. خانه (khâne): خانه (khâne) means “house” and begins with خ.
- A. good: خوب (khub) means “good”.
- C. Yes, it joins the next letter: خ joins the next letter, so it has four forms.
- D. khe: خ is called khe.
- A. In the middle: In دختر, خ comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- A. 9th: خ is the 9th 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 خ in Persian?
خ (khe) is pronounced kh. A rough sound made by raising the back of the tongue toward the soft palate and pushing air through, like ch in Scottish “loch” or German “Bach”. English has no such sound.
Does خ connect to the next letter?
Yes. خ 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.
Why is the و in خواهر not pronounced?
In the combination خوا, the و is silent and the word is read khâ. This is an old spelling kept from earlier Persian, found in words like خواهر, خواب and خواستن (khâstan, to want).
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 |
خـ – خ
“خـ – خ” /khe/ is the ninth letter of the Persian alphabet. It has short and full forms. “خ” sounds /khe/ like “ch” in “loch”, a Scottish word.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
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| تَخت | تاخت | باخت |
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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.