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List of English words containing Q not followed by U: Difference between revisions

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File:Nastaliq.png
An example of nasta'liq writing. Like many English words that use a q not followed by a u, nasta'liq is of Arabic origin.

It is often said that in English the letter q must always be followed by the letter u. While this is true in the vast majority of cases, there are some exceptions. The majority of these are naturalised from Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew or other languages which do not use the Roman alphabet, with q representing a sound not found in English. For example, qi is pronounced /tʃi:/ as Pinyin uses ‹q› to represent the sound /tɕʰ/, which sounds like /tʃ/ to English speakers. In other examples, q represents /k/, such as in qat and faqir, and alternative spellings are accepted which use k in place of q.

Almost all of these words are nouns, and most would generally be considered loanwords. However, they are all considered to be naturalised in English according to at least one major dictionary (see References), often because they refer to concepts or societal roles that do not have an accurate equivalent in English. Words must appear in their own entry, not as part of a longer phrase. Also, a large number of archaic spellings have been excluded from the list. These use the formerly common qw to represent qu (for example, sqware) or qh instead of wh (for example, qhere).

In addition, there are many place names and personal names, mostly originating from North Africa, the Middle East or China, that have a q without a u. The most familiar of these are the countries of Qatar and Iraq. Qaqortoq, in Greenland, is notable for having three naked qs. Other proper names and acronyms that have attained the status of English words include: Compaq (a computer company), Qantas (an Australian airline), Nasdaq (the US electronic stock market) and QinetiQ (a British technology company). Zaqqum (a tree mentioned in the Qur'an) and Saqqara are proper nouns notable for their use of a double q.

Words

A cinqfoil, Potentilla sterilis.
Word Meaning Other forms Sources
buqsha A former Yemeni monetary unit. Plural buqshas. Also written bogache. [3]
burqa A veiled garment worn by Muslim women. Plural burqas. Also written burka or burqua. [1][4][5][7][10]
cinq The number five, as signified in dice or cards. Plural cinqs. [1][2][10]
cinqfoil A plant of the genus Potentilla, or an ornamental design thereof. Plural cinqfoils. Much more commonly written cinquefoil. [6][10]
coq A trimming of cock feathers on a woman's hat. Plural coqs. [17]
faqih An Islamic lawyer. Plural faqihs or fuqaha. [12]
faqir A Muslim ascetic. Plural faqirs. More commonly written fakir. [3]
fiqh Muslim jurisprudence. Plural fiqhs. [1]
inqilab A revolution in India or Pakistan. Plural inqilabs. [5]
mbaqanga A style of South African music. Plural mbaqangas. [1][5][8]
miqra The Tanakh, or Hebrew text of the Bible. Plural miqras. [17]
muqaddam A Bangladeshi headman. Plural muqaddams. [5]
nasta'liq An Arabic script used in Persian writings. Plural nasta'liqs. Also written nastaliq or nestaliq, or shortened to just taliq. [10]]
pontacq A sweet wine from Pontac. Plural pontacqs. [10]
q The seventeenth letter of the English alphabet. Plural qs or q's. [1]
qabab A dish consisting of pieces of seasoned meat. Plural qababs. Much more commonly written kebab, kebob or kabob. [10]
Qabalah A form of Jewish mysticism. Plural Qabalahs. More commonly written Kabbalah, and also written Qabala, [7] Qabbala, [17] Cabalah, etc. [5][7][17]
qadi A Muslim judge. Plural qadis. Also written qadhi or qazi [10]. [3][5][8][10]
qaf Twenty-first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Plural qafs. [12]
qaid A Muslim tribal chief. Plural qaids [12]
qaimaqam A minor official of the Ottoman Empire. Plural qaimaqams. [5][10]
qalamdan A Persian writing-case. Plural qalamdans. [5]
qanat A type of water supply tunnel found in north Africa and the Middle East. Plural qanats. [1][5][10]
qanún A type of harp or sackbut. Plural qanúns. Also written qanon or qanun [10]
qantar A Mediterranean unit of length. Plural qantars.
qasida An Arabian poem of praise or satire. Plural qasidas. Also written qasidah. [5][10]
qat A kind of Arabian shrub utilized as a narcotic. Plural qats. More commonly written khat. [3][5][10]
qawwali Devotional music of the Sufis. A qawwal is a person who practices such music. Plural qawwalis. [1][5]
qepiq An Azerbaijani unit of currency. Plural qepiq. [13]
qere A marginal reading in the Hebrew Bible. Plural qeres. Also written qeri [17] or qre [17]. [10][17]
qhat An English pronoun usually indicating a question. Obsolete spelling of what. [10]
qheche An English pronoun usually denoting "what particular one or ones". Obsolete spelling of which. [10]
qhom An English interrogative and relative pronoun of the objective case. Obsolete spelling of whom. [10]
Qhythsontyd The day of Pentecost. Obsolete spelling of Whitsuntide. [10]
qi In Chinese culture, a physical life force. Plural qis. Commonly written chi or ki. [1][5][7][10]
qiana A type of nylon (trademark, now generic). Plural qianas. [10]
Qibla The point to which Muslims turn in prayer. Plural qiblas. Also written qiblah. [10] [1][2][5][10]
qibli A local Libyan name for the sirocco, a southeasterly Mediterranean wind. Plural qiblis. [10]
qigong A Chinese system of meditational exercises. Plural qigongs. Also written qi gong. [1][5]
qinah A Hebrew elegy. [17]
qindar An Albanian unit of currency, equal to one one-hundrednth or a lek. Plural qindarka [3] or qindars [5]. Also written qintar [3][5] or quintal. [1][3][5]
qinghaosu A drug, artemisinin, used to treat malaria. Plural qinghaosus. [5]
qiviut The wool of the musk-ox. Plural qiviuts. [10]
qiyas An analogy in Sharia, Islamic law. Plural qiyases. [12]
qoph The nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Plural qophs. [3][5]
qorma A type of curry. Plural qormas. Much more commonly written korma. [11]
qt Quiet. Used in phrases such as "on the qt". [3]
qwerty A standard keyboard layout, named after the top row of keys. Plural qwertys or qwerties. Also rendered QWERTY. [1][2][4][5][10]
rencq A system of hierarchy used to classify things. Plural rencqs. Obsolete spelling of rank. [10]
riq A type of Egyptian tambourine. Plural riqs. Also written riqq or rik. [16]
sambuq A small Arabian boat. Plural sambuqs. [10]
sheqel A unit of weight originally used in Mesopotamia. The currency of Israel, divided into 100 agorot. Plural sheqels or sheqalim. More commonly written shekel. [9]
suq A Muslim marketplace. Plural suqs. Also written souk, souq or sook. [1][5][10]
talaq A form of Islamic divorce. Plural talaqs. [1][5][10]
taluqdar A person who collects the revenues of a taluq (pl. taluqs), an Indian estate. A taluqdari is an Indian landholding tenure. Plural taluqdars. [10]
Taqiyya In Islam, the dissimulation of faith displayed for fear of one's life. Plural Taqiyyas. Also written Taqiya or Taqiyah. [12]
taqlid Acceptance of Muslim orthodoxy. Plural taqlids. [12]
Tariqa A Sufi method of spiritual development, or a Sufi missionary. Plural Tariqas or Tariqats. Also written Tarika. [15]
tranq Apocopation from tranquilizer, a form of sedative. Plural tranqs. [10]
Tsaddiq In Judaism, a term bestowed upon the righteous. Plural Tsaddiqs or Tsaddiqim. Also written Tzadik. [5][10]
waqf A charitable trust in Islamic law. Plural waqf [1] or waqfs. [5][10] [1][5][10]
yaqona A Fijian intoxicating beverage, kava. Plural yaqonas. [5][10]
A suq in Marrakech, Morocco.

References

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