ض (zâd) is the 18th letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced z, as in “zoo” (used in words borrowed from Arabic), as in ضعیف (za’if, weak).
How to write ض (zâd)
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 ض:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| ض | ضـ | ـضـ | ـض |
ض joins the letter that comes after it.
How to pronounce ض (zâd)
Pronounced z, as in "zoo". In Arabic it is a heavy d-like sound, but in Persian it is a plain z.
In standard Iranian Persian, ض sounds exactly like ذ and ز and ظ, so you learn the spelling of each word as you meet it. Most words spelled with ض come from Arabic.
Persian words with ض
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where ض is |
|---|---|---|---|
| ضعیف | za'if | weak | start |
| ضرب | zarb | multiplication | start |
| ضرر | zarar | harm, loss | start |
| حضور | hozur | presence | middle |
| حاضر | hâzer | ready, present | middle |
| فضا | fazâ | space | middle |
| مریض | mariz | sick | end |
| قرض | gharz | loan, debt | end |
Good to know
- ض is ص with one dot above.
- ض appears almost only in words of Arabic origin, such as ضعیف and حاضر.
Quiz: the letter ض
Check yourself on ض (zâd): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does ض (zâd) make?
2. Which word starts with ض?
3. What does ضرب (zarb) mean?
4. Does ض join the letter that comes after it?
5. Which letter is pronounced the same as ض?
6. Where is ض in the word حضور (hozur, presence)?
7. What is the position of ض in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- D. z: ض is pronounced z. Pronounced z, as in “zoo”.
- A. ضعیف (za’if): ضعیف (za’if) means “weak” and begins with ض.
- A. multiplication: ضرب (zarb) means “multiplication”.
- D. Yes, it joins the next letter: ض joins the next letter, so it has four forms.
- C. ذ: ض and ذ sound the same (z) in standard Iranian Persian.
- A. In the middle: In حضور, ض comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- B. 18th: ض is the 18th 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 ض in Persian?
ض (zâd) is pronounced z. Pronounced z, as in “zoo”. In Arabic it is a heavy d-like sound, but in Persian it is a plain z.
Does ض connect to the next letter?
Yes. ض 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 ض?
In standard Iranian Persian ض is pronounced the same as ذ and ز and ظ.
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 |
ض – ضـ
“ض – ضـ” called “zâd”, is the eighteenth letter of the Persian alphabet. It has short and full forms. “ض” sounds /ze/ like “z” in “zipper”.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| ضَرب | ضارِب | ضَرَر |
| 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.