Sun and moon letters facts for kids
In Arabic and Maltese, some letters are called sun letters and others are moon letters. This helps us know how to say the word "the" before certain words.
In these languages, when you say "the" before a word, it's usually "al" in Arabic or "il" in Maltese. But here's the cool part: the "l" sound sometimes changes or disappears!
- If a sun letter comes right after "al" or "il", the "l" sound disappears. Instead, you say the sound of the sun letter twice.
- If a moon letter comes after "al" or "il", the "l" sound stays exactly the same.
For example, in Arabic, the word for "the sun" is ash-shams. The "sh" sound is a sun letter, so the "l" from "al" changes to "sh". But the word for "the moon" is al-qamar. The "q" sound is a moon letter, so the "l" sound stays.
Contents
Arabic Sun and Moon Letters
Let's look at which letters are sun letters and which are moon letters in Arabic. This table shows you the Arabic letters and how they sound in English.
| Sun letters | ﺕ | ﺙ | ﺩ | ﺫ | ﺭ | ﺯ | ﺱ | ﺵ | ﺹ | ﺽ | ﻁ | ﻅ | ﻝ | ﻥ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| t | th | d | dh | r | z | s | sh | ṣ | ḍ | ṭ | ẓ | l | n | |
| Moon letters | ء | ﺏ | ﺝ | ﺡ | ﺥ | ﻉ | ﻍ | ﻑ | ﻕ | ﻙ | ﻡ | ه | ﻭ | ﻱ |
| ' | b | j | ḥ | kh | ʻ | gh | f | q | k | m | h | w | y |
How Arabic Words Are Written
Even if the "l" sound changes or disappears, the Arabic word ال al- is always written the same way.
To show how the word is pronounced:
- For sun letters, a special mark called a shaddah (ـّـ) is written over the sun letter. This mark tells you to say the letter's sound twice.
- For moon letters, a mark called a sukun (ـْـ) is written over the letter ل lam (which makes the "l" sound) in the al-. This mark means the "l" sound is kept.
Here are some examples to help you understand:
| Sun letters | Moon letters | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| الشَّمْس | 'ash-shams' | 'the sun' | الْقَمَر | 'al-qamar' | 'the moon' |
| الثِّقَة | 'ath-thiqah' | 'the confidence' | الْمُرْجَان | 'al-murjān' | 'the coral' |
Maltese Sun and Moon Letters
Maltese also has sun and moon letters, and they work in a similar way with the word "il-" (meaning "the").
| Sun letters | ċ | d | n | r | s | t | x | ż | z | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moon letters | b | f | ġ | g | għ | h | ħ | j | k | l | m | p | q | v | w |
If a word starts with any of the moon letters, the word il- stays the same. However, if it starts with a sun letter, the word il- changes. It becomes iċ-, id-, in-, ir-, is-, it-, ix-, iż-, or iz-, depending on the first letter of the word.
Sometimes, if a word begins with two consonants (like "sk" in "skola"), the "il-" changes to "l-i-". For example, skola (school) becomes l-iskola (the school).
See also
In Spanish: Letras solares y letras lunares para niños
