Alphabet · Alifbeetada · Consonants

KH

KH

kha · In casual speech many people soften KH to a plain h or a q; the written form keeps KH.
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The sound

KH is a single sound written with two letters, like the ch in Scottish "loch" or German "Bach": a rough h made at the back of the mouth. It is the rarest consonant in Somali and appears almost only in words borrowed from Arabic.

Example words

KhamiisThursday
Khudaarvegetables

Teaching the letter KH

Say the letter with a short a after it, "kha", the way Somali children chant the alphabet, then say each example word slowly and let your child find the letter in it. Somali spelling is completely regular, so once a child knows the sound of KH they can read it in any word.

Learn all 26 Alphabet letters with real voices

B, T, J, X, KH, D and more. Then take the quiz.

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