Arabic Qaf Initial Form

It is qaf’s initial joining shape, not a different letter.

In a connected Arabic word, qaf takes this shape at the start of a joining sequence. This character stores that shape directly, so it can behave differently from ordinary Arabic letter input.

For normal text, use base qaf. The writing system chooses a letter’s joining shape from its position in the word.

Where did qaf come from, and how is it pronounced?

Arabic qaf developed through Nabataean writing; its spoken sound varies by region.

Arabic qaf belongs to the wider Semitic qoph/qop letter family. Arabic script developed from cursive Nabataean writing, a handwritten script used in the region. The Namara tomb inscription from 328 CE is an early Arabic-script witness; the earliest dated inscriptions with a full Arabic letter repertoire are placed in the late fifth century CE. This points to a gradual development, not a one-time invention of this exact shape.

In formal reading, qaf is taught as /q/, but regional speech also uses /g/, a glottal stop, /k/, and other sounds. Maghrebi handwriting commonly gives qaf one dot, while eastern forms commonly use two. A Spring 2012 study of Levantine Facebook writing records qaf written with Latin q, 2, or 8; the choice can reflect pronunciation and social setting.