That is… Demonstrative Pronoun (Far)
ذلك
ذَلِكَ (dhālika) points to something far away. It is the distant counterpart of هَذَا and works exactly the same way in forming sentences.
Key Vocabulary
Grammar: Near vs Far
هَذَا = near (this); ذَلِكَ = far (that). Both follow the same sentence pattern: demonstrative + noun = complete present-tense sentence with no verb needed.
The لَامُ الْبُعْد (lām of distance) embedded within ذَلِكَ is what marks it as pointing to something remote. You can connect near and far sentences with وَ (and): هَذَا كِتَابٌ وَذَلِكَ قَلَم.
Sample Dialogue
Pronunciation Focus
The letter ذَال (dh) is a voiced interdental fricative like the "th" in "the," with the tip of the tongue between the teeth. The كَاف at the end of ذَلِكَ is a clear, crisp "k." Avoid the common error of pronouncing ذَلِكَ as "dhaalik" give the final syllable its full short vowel: dhā-li-ka.
- ذَلِكَ has the لَامُ الْبُعْد (lām of distance) the ل signals remoteness.
- Contrast: هَذَا الْكِتَاب (this book near) / ذَلِكَ الْكِتَاب (that book far).
- Both هَذَا and ذَلِكَ are مَبْنِيّ (indeclinable) their form never changes.
- Use وَ (wa-) to link near and far: هَذَا بَيْتٌ وَذَلِكَ مَسْجِد.
- Practice pointing: هَذَا for objects you can touch, ذَلِكَ for things across the room.