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Tajweed basicsالتَّجْوِيد

Tajweed is the set of pronunciation rules that shape how the Qur’ān is recited. The rules exist because certain letters, when they meet certain other letters, produce sounds that aren’t obvious from the script alone. You hear them applied automatically when a qualified reciter recites — this page explains what’s actually happening.

How to use this page: Start with the Core rules below. They’re the ones you’ll hit most often and a beginner can learn them in a single sitting. The Advanced rules are real but not urgent — come back to them once the basics click.

Core rules

Qalqalah — the bouncing letters

القَلْقَلَة

Qalqalah means “vibration” or “echo.” Five specific letters — ق ط ب ج د — produce a small echo-bounce when they carry a sukūn. Think of it as a tiny drum-beat that leaves the letter vibrating after you say it.

Trigger: One of the 5 qalqalah letters (ق ط ب ج د) carries a sukūn or is the last letter you stop on.

Lesser Qalqalah

قَلْقَلَة صُغْرَى

Small bounce — when a qalqalah letter has a sukūn in the middle of a word.

You'll hear a short, sharp echo immediately after the letter. The bounce is small — don't add a full vowel, just a quick “uh” sound.

Trigger letters

قqāfطṭā'بbā'جjīmدdāl

Examples

يَقْطَعُونَ
yaqṭaʿūna— they cut off
يَدْخُلُونَ
yadkhulūna— they enter

Greater Qalqalah

قَلْقَلَة كُبْرَى

Bigger bounce — when the qalqalah letter is the last letter you stop on at the end of an ayah.

Because you're stopping, the echo is more pronounced. Same 5 letters, just a stronger vibration because the word is ending.

Examples

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقْ
qul aʿūdhu bi-rabbi-l-falaq— Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak.(Qur'ān 113:1)
وَتَبَّ
wa-tabb— and perished.(Qur'ān 111:1)

Nūn sākinah & tanwīn rules

أَحْكَام النُّون السَّاكِنَة وَالتَّنْوِين

A “nūn sākinah” is the letter ن with a sukūn on top of it (نْ). “Tanwīn” is the ‑an / ‑in / ‑un sound you get from the double-fatḥa / kasra / ḍamma at the end of a word — it's pronounced as if there's a hidden n at the end. Both behave the same way: what happens to the “n” sound depends entirely on the letter that comes next. There are 4 possible outcomes.

Trigger: When a نْ (nūn with sukūn) or a word ending in tanwīn (◌ً ◌ٍ ◌ٌ) is followed by another letter.

Izhar — say it clearly

إِظْهَار

When one of the 6 throat letters follows, pronounce the n clearly with no change.

The 6 throat letters (ء ه ع ح غ خ) are too far back in the mouth for the n to merge with them. So you just say the n normally, cleanly, without any modification.

Trigger letters

ءhamzahهhā'عʿaynحḥā'غghaynخkhā'

Examples

مِنْ هَادٍ
min hādin— any guide
يَنْعِقُ
yanʿiqu— cries out

Idghām — merge it in

إِدْغَام

When one of 6 specific letters follows, the n sound melts into that letter.

The 6 letters are ي ر م ل و ن. With 4 of them (ي ن م و) you keep a nasal hum (“ghunnah”) for about 2 beats. With ل and ر there's no hum — just a clean merge. You won't hear an n at all; it turns into the next letter.

Trigger letters

يyā' — with ghunnahرrā' — no ghunnahمmīm — with ghunnahلlām — no ghunnahوwāw — with ghunnahنnūn — with ghunnah

Examples

مَن يَعْمَلْ
may-yaʿmal (not: man yaʿmal)— whoever does
مِن رَّبِّهِمْ
mir-rabbihim (not: min rabbihim)— from their Lord

Iqlāb — flip it to an m

إِقْلَاب

When a ب follows, the n sound flips into an m sound (with a slight nasal hum).

There's only one letter that triggers iqlāb: ب. The n becomes m. You'll see a small م written above the ن in the muṣḥaf as a reminder. The hum lasts about 2 beats.

Trigger letters

بbā'

Examples

مِنۢ بَعْدِ
mim-baʿdi (not: min-baʿdi)— after
سَمِيعٌۢ بَصِيرٌ
samīʿum-baṣīr— All-Hearing, All-Seeing

Ikhfā — hide it

إِخْفَاء

When any of the remaining 15 letters follows, hide the n — don't say it fully, just hum nasally.

15 letters trigger ikhfā (basically, everything not covered by the other 3 rules). The n doesn't fully sound — instead you make a nasal humming sound held for about 2 beats, with your tongue already in position for the next letter.

Trigger letters

تtā'ثthā'جjīmدdālذdhālزzāyسsīnشshīnصṣādضḍādطṭā'ظẓā'فfā'قqāfكkāf

Examples

مِن شَرِّ
min-sharri (nasalised n)— from the evil of(Qur'ān 113:2)
مِنْ قَبْلُ
min-qablu (nasalised n)— before

These rules describe what happens, not how much to pronounce each thing. The exact timing (e.g. “hold the ghunnah for 2 beats”) is best learned by listening to a qualified reciter — examples on every card include audio where available. For formal study, pair this reference with a teacher or an ijāzah programme.