q / x / gʻ / h

The Back Consonants Q, X, Gʻ and H

Level 1

q is a k made further back, as in qiz (girl). x is the rough ch of Scottish loch, as in xona (room). gʻ is the same rough sound with the voice on, as in gʻisht (brick). h is a light English h, as in havo (air).

How It Works

Uzbek has several sounds made at the back of the mouth that English does not have:

  • q: touch the very back of your tongue to the soft back part of the roof of your mouth, further back than for k. qiz (girl), qalam (pen), Samarqand. At the end of a word or before another consonant it often has a little rasp, as in qishloq (village) and vaqt (time).
  • x: the same place, but let air rub through: xat (letter), xona (room), yaxshi (good). It is never ks.
  • gʻ: say x with your voice buzzing: togʻ (mountain), bogʻ (garden). See the letters oʻ and gʻ.
  • h: a light breath from the throat, like English h. Say it everywhere it is written, even at the end of a word: havo (air), hamma (everyone), shoh (king).

These consonants also colour the vowels next to them. a sounds further back, closer to the a in father, in qalam and xat. See the vowels o and a.

k and q matter for endings too. An ending that starts with g changes to k after k and to q after q: bankka (to the bank), qishloqqa (to the village). See to or toward: -ga and k and q softening.

Examples (5)

  1. Qizim maktabda.

    My daughter is at school.

    Word by Word: Daughter-my school-at.

    Q in qiz is a deep k.

  2. Qoʻlim sovuq.

    My hand is cold.

    Word by Word: Hand-my cold.

    Both q sounds are deep: qoʻl (hand) and sovuq (cold).

  3. Bu xona katta.

    This room is big.

    Word by Word: This room big.

    X in xona is the rough ch of loch.

  4. Bugun havo yaxshi.

    The weather is nice today.

    Word by Word: Today air good.

    H in havo is a light breath, and x in yaxshi is rough.

  5. Bogʻda qizil gul bor.

    There is a red flower in the garden.

    Word by Word: Garden-in red flower there-is.

    Gʻ in bogʻ buzzes, and q in qizil is a deep k.

Common Mistakes

  • Using k where the word needs q.

    Koʻlim sovuq.
    Qoʻlim sovuq.

    Koʻl with k means lake, so the incorrect sentence says my lake is cold. Qoʻl with q means hand.

  • Using x where the word needs h.

    Xolingiz qalay?
    Holingiz qalay?

    Hol with h means condition, so Holingiz qalay? asks how you are. Xol with x is a mole on the skin, so the incorrect question asks about someone's mole.

  • Writing k for q, as English spellings do.

    Samarkand chiroyli shahar.
    Samarqand chiroyli shahar.

    English writes Samarkand, but the Uzbek name has the deep q: Samarqand.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

q / x / gʻ / hLevel 1The Back Consonants Q, X, Gʻ and H

Learn This First

Builds on The Letters Oʻ and Gʻ.

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Patterns that build on this one.