English has only one “h”, so children often say ح and ه the same way. In the Quran, mixing them changes words, so this pair is worth practising.
ه: the mirror sound
- Hold a mirror (or a cold window) in front of your child’s mouth.
- Ask them to breathe out softly to fog it up: “hhhh”.
- That soft, relaxed breath from deep in the chest is ه.
ح: the hot-drink sound
- Ask your child to imagine they have just sipped something very hot.
- The sharp “hhhh” they make, from the middle of the throat, is ح.
- It feels tighter and raspier than ه, but it is still a whisper, not a growl.
Side by side
| ه (soft) | ح (sharp) |
|---|---|
| هُوَ (huwa, he) | الْحَمْدُ (al-hamdu, praise) |
| هَدَى (hada, guided) | حَمِيد (hamid, praiseworthy) |
| اللّٰهُ (Allahu) | الرَّحْمٰنِ (ar-Rahman) |
A quick game
Say a word, and your child holds up a “mirror” card for ه or a “hot cup” card for ح. Ten words a day for a week is usually enough to hear the difference clearly.
Do not confuse ح with خ
خ is the scratchy sound at the back of the mouth, like the “ch” in the Scottish “loch”. If your child’s ح starts sounding scratchy, it has turned into خ: ask them to make it smoother and higher.
Teacher’s tip: start every practice with الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ. It has both ح and ه in two words, so your child practises the pair every time.
See also: How do I teach my child to pronounce ع?
