EVA to IPA

[Jorge_Stolfi]

Out of curiosity, what is a "q" sound without "u" after it? Isn't it just /k/ in English? Iraq, Qatar, faqir, niqab...

The Q without U is most often used when transcribing Arabic, to represent a consonant that does not exist in English -- the "voiceles unaspirated uvular plosive" ق, which sounds sort of like English K (which also exists in Arabic) but is articulated further back in the throat. 

TIL that faqir is the transliteration of the original Arabic term for ascetics who renounced to worldly possessions and concerns to serve Allah.  It has  been extended to similar people in other religions, notably Indian gurus, and as such the term is most commonly written in English as "fakir" (which is how I knew it).

All the best, --jorge