List of English words containing Q not followed by U

In English, the letter "q" is usually followed by the letter "u". While this is true in the vast majority of cases, there are some exceptions, the majority of which are romanised from Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Inuktitut, or other languages which do not use the English alphabet, with "q" representing a sound not found in English. For example, in the Chinese pinyin alphabet, "qi" is pronounced IPA|/tʃi/, as pinyin uses ‹q› to represent the sound IPA| [tɕʰ] , which is approximated as IPA| [tʃ] in English. In other examples, "q" represents [Voiceless uvular plosive|IPA| [q] ] (in standard Arabic, such as in "qat", "faqir" and "Qur'ān", and alternative spellings are sometimes 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. For words to appear here, they must appear in their own entry in a dictionary; words which occur only as part of a longer phrase are not included.

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 "Iraq" and "Qatar", along with the derived words "Iraqi" and "Qatari". "Iqaluit", the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, also has a "q" which is not directly followed by a "u". "Qaqortoq", in Greenland, is notable for having three naked "q"s. 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". However, the nouns in this list are common nouns.

Words

Unless noted otherwise all words listed here are assumed to be pluralized by adding "-s" or "-es". References in the "Sources" column relate to the headword in column one; variant spellings are then separately referenced. The sources given are selective, and the absence of a reference to a particular dictionary does not necessarily mean that the word does not appear in that dictionary.

-valign="top"
faqih
An Islamic lawyer.
[RHW]
Plural "faqihs" or "fuqaha" [RHU] .
Arabic فقيه.
-valign="top"
faqir
A Muslim ascetic.
[L]
More commonly written "fakir".
Arabic فقير
-valign="top"
fiqh
Muslim jurisprudence.
[ODE] |
Arabic فقه, "understanding".
-valign="top"
inqilab
A revolution in India or Pakistan.
[C] |
-valign="top"
mbaqanga
A style of South African music.
[ODE] [C] [W] |
Zulu "umbaqanga", "steamed maize bread".
-valign="top"
miqra
The Tanakh, or Hebrew text of the Bible.
[WI] |
Hebrew מקרא.
-valign="top"
muqaddam
A Bangladeshi headman.
[C] ||
-valign="top"
nastaliq
An Arabic script used in Persian writings.
[OED]
Also written "nasta'liq" [C] , "nestaliq" [OED] , or shortened to just "taliq" [OED] .
Arabic نستعليق, from "naskh" + "ta`liq".
-valign="top"
pontacq
A sweet wine from Pontac.
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
qabab
A dish consisting of pieces of seasoned meat.
[OED]
Much more commonly written "kebab", "kebob" or "kabob".
Arabic.
-valign="top"
qabalah
A form of Jewish mysticism.
[C] [AHC] [WI]
More commonly written "Kabbalah", and also written "Qabala" [AHC] , "Qabbala" [WI] , "Cabalah" etc.
Hebrew קַבָּלָה.
-valign="top"
qadarite
A member of the Qadariyah.
[RHU] ||
-valign="top"
qadariyah
In Islam, adherents of the doctrine of free will.
[RHU]
Also written "Qadariya" [RHU] .|
-valign="top"
qaddish
In Judaism, a prayer of mourning.
[C]
More commonly written "Kaddish".|
-valign="top"
qadi
A Muslim judge.
[L] [C] [W] [OED]
Also written "qadhi" [OED] or "qazi" [OED] .
Arabic قاضى.
-valign="top"
qadiriyah
In Islam, a Sufi order.
[RHU]
Also written "Qadiriya" [RHU] .|
-valign="top"
qaf
Twenty-first letter of the Arabic alphabet.
[RHW] |
Arabic ق.
-valign="top"
qaid
A Muslim tribal chief.
[RHW] ||
-valign="top"
qaimaqam
A minor official of the Ottoman Empire.
[C] [OED] ||
-valign="top"
qalamdan
A Persian writing-case.
[C] ||
-valign="top"
qalandar
A member of an order of mendicant dervishes.
[RHU]
Also written "calender", or capitalised.|
-valign="top"
qanat
A type of water supply tunnel found in north Africa and the Middle East.
[ODE] [C] [OED] |
Persian, from Arabic "qanāt", "channel".
-valign="top"
qanun
A type of harp.
[OED]
Also written "qanon" [OED] .|
-valign="top"
Qaraqalpaq
A Middle-Eastern language.
[WED]
Also written "Karakalpak"
Qaraqalpaq Қарақалпақ тили
-valign="top"
qasida
An Arabian poem of praise or satire.
[C] [OED]
Also written "qasidah"
Arabic قصيدة.
-valign="top"
"'qat
A kind of Arabian shrub used as a narcotic.
[L] [C] [OED]
More commonly written "khat".
Arabic "qāt".
-valign="top"
qawwal
A person who practises qawwali music.
[ODE] [C] ||
-valign="top"
qawwali
Devotional music of the Sufis.
[ODE] [C] |
Arabic قوٌالی ("qawwāli"), "loquacious" or "singer".
-valign="top"
qazi
Variant of "qadi".|||
-valign="top"
qepiq
An Azerbaijani unit of currency.
[AH] ||
-valign="top"
qere
A marginal reading in the Hebrew Bible.
[OED] [WI]
Also written "qeri" [WI] or "qre" [WI] .|
-valign="top"
qhat
An obsolete spelling of "what".
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
qheche
An obsolete spelling of "which".
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
qhom
An obsolete spelling of "whom".
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
qhythsontyd
An obsolete spelling of "Whitsuntide" (the day of Pentecost).
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
qi
In Chinese culture, a physical life force.
[ODE] [C] [AHC] [OED]
Commonly written "chi" or "ki".
Chinese 氣, 'air'
-valign="top"
qiana
A type of nylon.
[OED] |
Originally a trademark of DuPont, now generic.
-valign="top"
qibla
The point to which Muslims turn in prayer.
[ODE] [COD] [C] [OED]
Also written "qiblah" [OED] , or "qib'lah" [RHU] . Sometimes capitalised.
17th Century Arabic, "the opposite".
-valign="top"
qibli
A local Libyan name for the sirocco, a southeasterly Mediterranean wind.
[OED]
Also written "ghibli".|
-valign="top"
qigong
A Chinese system of medical exercises.
[ODE] [C]
Also written "qi gong", "ki gong", or "chi kung".
Chinese 气功 (simp.).
-valign="top"
qin
A classification of Chinese musical instruments.
[AOX] ||
-valign="top"
qinah
A Hebrew elegy.
[WI]
Also written "kinah"; plural "qinot", "qinoth"|
-valign="top"
qindar
An Albanian unit of currency, equal to one one-hundredth of a lek.
[ODE] [L] [C]
Plural "qindarka" [L] or "qindars" [C] . Also written "qintar" [L] [C] [AOX] or "quintal".
Albanian.
-valign="top"
Qing
The last Imperial Chinese dynasty.|
Also Ch'ing, Ching, or Manchu Dynasty
Chinese 清
-valign="top"
qinghaosu
A drug, artemisinin, used to treat malaria.
[C] |
Chinese 青蒿素.
-valign="top"
qipao
A traditional Chinese dress.
[OED]
Also written "chi pao".
Chinese
-valign="top"
qirsh
A monetary unit of Saudi Arabia and, formerly, various other countries.
[RHU]
Also written "qurush", "qursh", "gursh", "girsh" or "ghirsh".|
-valign="top"
qiviut
The wool of the musk-ox.
[OED] |
Inuktitut
-valign="top"
qiyas
An analogy in Sharia, Islamic law.
[RHW] |
Arabic قياس.
-valign="top"
qoph
The nineteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
[L] [C]
Also written "koph".
Hebrew ק.
-valign="top"
qoppa
The nineteenth letter of the ancient Greek alphabet.

Generally written "koppa".
Greek Ϟ.
-valign="top"
qorma
A type of curry.
[Co]
Much more commonly written "korma".
Urdu.
-valign="top"
qre
(Variant of "qere")||
-valign="top"
qwerty
A standard English keyboard layout.
[ODE] [COD] [LC] [C] [OED]
Plural "qwertys" or "qwerties". Also rendered "QWERTY".
Named after the letters on the top row of keys.
-valign="top"
rencq
An obsolete spelling of "".
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
sambuq
A small Arabian boat.
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
sheqel
A unit of weight originally used in Mesopotamia. The currency of Israel, divided into 100 agorot.
[MW]
Plural "sheqels" or "sheqalim". More commonly written "shekel".
Hebrew שקל, Yiddish ניי-שקל.
-valign="top"
suq
A Muslim marketplace.
[ODE] [C] [OED]
Most commonly written "souk" (French spelling).
Arabic سوق ("sūq").
-valign="top"
talaq
A form of Islamic divorce.
[ODE] [C] [OED] |
Arabic "talaq" from "talaqa", "repudiate".
-valign="top"
taliq
(Variant of "nastaliq")|||
-valign="top"
taluq
An Indian estate.
[OED]
Also written "taluk" or "talook".|
-valign="top"
taluqdar
A person who collects the revenues of a "taluq".
[OED]
Also written "talukdar" or "talookdar".|
-valign="top"
taluqdari
An Indian landholding tenure.
[OED] ||
-valign="top"
taqiya
In Islam, the dissimulation of faith displayed for fear of one's life.
[RHW]
Also written "taqiyah" [RHU] , or capitalised.
Arabic التقية.
-valign="top"
taqlid
Acceptance of Muslim orthodoxy.
[RHW] |
Arabic قْلي.
-valign="top"
tariqa
A Sufi method of spiritual development, or a Sufi missionary.
[E]
Also written "tariqat" [E] or "tarika".
Arabic طريق.
-valign="top"
tranq
A form of sedative.
[OED]
Also written "trank" [OED] .
Apocopation from "tranquilizer".
-valign="top"
tsaddiq
In Judaism, a term bestowed upon the righteous.
[C] [OED]
Plural "tsaddiqs" or "tsaddiqim". Also written "tzaddiq" [C] , "tzadik" or "tzaddik".
Hebrew צדיק.
-valign="top"
umiaq
An open eskimo boat.
[OSPD4]
Also spelled "umiak"|
-valign="top"
waqf
A charitable trust in Islamic law.
[ODE] [C] [OED]
Plural "waqf" [ODE] [C] [OED] or "waqfs" [C] [OED] .
Arabic, literally "stoppage" from "waqafa", "come to a standstill".
-valign="top"
yaqona
A Fijian intoxicating beverage, kava.
[C] [OED] |
Fijian "yaqona", in which "q" represents [ŋg]

Uses

In many word games, most famously in Scrabble, a player must build a word using a certain set of letters. Therefore, if a player is obliged to use a Q but does not have a U, it may be useful to construct words from this list. In Scrabble in North America, the only acceptable words with a Q and not a U are "qi", "qat", "qaid", "qai", "qadi", "qoph", "qanat", "tranq", "faqir", "sheqel", "qabala", "qabalah", "qindar", "qintar", "qindarka", "mbaqanga", and "qwerty", along with their plurals (such as "qats" and "sheqalim"). [ TWL ] Other words in this list, such as "suq" and "qiviut", are also acceptable, but since these contain a U, they are less likely to be useful.

ee also

*List of words without vowel letters

References

* [AH] : The American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition (ISBN 0-440-23701-7)
* [AHC] : American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition, 2000
* [AOX] : [http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutwords/qwerty Ask Oxford] Last accessed May 29, 2006.
* [C] : The Chambers Dictionary, 2003
* [Co] : Collins English Dictionary, Third Edition (updated 1994)
* [COD] : The Concise Oxford Dictionary, Eighth Edition, 1990
* [E] : [http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/dictionaryhome.aspx Microsoft Encarta online dictionary] Last accessed May 29, 2006.
* [L] : The Longman Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition, 1988 (ISBN 0-582-55511-6)
* [LC] : The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Fourth Edition, 2003
* [MW] : Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition
* [MWO] : [http://www.m-w.com/ Merriam-Webster online dictionary] Last accessed May 29, 2006.
* [ODE] : Oxford Dictionary of English, Second Edition, 2003 (ISBN 0-19-861347-4)
* [OED] : Oxford English Dictionary, 2003
* [OSPD4] : The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 2005 (ISBN 0-87779-929-6)
* [RHU] : Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 1997
* [RHW] : Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 2005 (ISBN 0-375-42599-3)
* [SOED] : The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Third Edition, 1992
* [W] : Random House Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 2000
* [WI] : Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (ISBN 0-87779-201-1)