a (fatḥa), it has no sensible sound, as in دّانة, dānǎ, "a grain." In this case, it is called هائ مختفي hā,e-mukhtafī or obscure h.
In a few words, where the fatḥa is a substitute for the long vowel alif, the final ه is fully sounded; as--
شه shah [for شاه shāh] " a king."
مه mah [for ماه māh] " a month."
ره rah [for راه rāh] " a road."
It is sounded in دّه dah, " ten," and all its compounds. It is imperceptible in the words که ki and چه chi, with their compounds, whether conjunctions or pronouns. A Persian word ending in the obscure ة h will have the h omitted when written in Roman characters ; as نامة nāma [not nāmah] "a letter," or "written communication."
4. It is difficult to distinguish between the sounds of the letters forming one of the following groups :
ح هع ات طز ض ظث س ص
The Persians never attempt to pronounce them as the Arabs ; they content themselves by sounding them according to the Persian letters, to which they most nearly assimilate.
