Noorani Qaida Lesson 5: Tanween (Double Vowels)

What is tanween?

Tanween is a doubled short vowel at the end of a word. It is pronounced as the short vowel followed by an "n" sound, even though no Noon is written. Teachers sometimes call it "the hidden Noon". In Urdu-speaking homes the three forms are called do zabar, do zer and do pesh.

Why is there an alif after fathatan?

In most words, fathatan is written with an extra alif after it: بًا. This alif is not read while you continue reading; it only matters when you stop (see below). The exceptions children meet early are words ending in a round Taa (ة) and some words ending in Hamzah, which take fathatan without the extra alif.

Practice table

Practise by spelling first ("Baa, do zabar: ban"), exactly as in lesson 4, then read the rows directly.

Tanween in real Quran words

Words are taken directly from the Tanzil Uthmani text; meanings are simplified for children.

What happens when you stop on tanween?

Children learn this early because the last word of almost every verse is a stopping point:

• Fathatan: stop with a long "aa" and drop the "n". Tabaqan becomes tabaqaa.
• Kasratan and dammatan: stop on a silent last letter. 'Alaqin becomes 'alaq, ahadun becomes ahad.
• Round Taa with tanween: becomes a soft "h" sound when you stop.

Listen to Surah Al-Ikhlas: the reciter stops on ahad, not ahadun. Our page on Surah Al-Ikhlas for kids is a good place to hear it.

Why tanween matters for Tajweed

The "n" of tanween behaves exactly like a Noon with sukoon. Later, when the learner reaches Tajweed, that hidden "n" is sometimes read clearly, sometimes merged into the next word, sometimes turned into a Meem sound and sometimes hidden with a nasal sound. These are the four rules of Noon Sakinah and Tanween. A child who has learned tanween properly finds those rules much easier.

Common mistakes

1. Reading the extra alif after fathatan in the middle of reading ("ban-aa").
2. Forgetting the "n" altogether when continuing to the next word.
3. Adding a full vowel after the "n" ("bunu").
4. Keeping the "n" when stopping at the end of a verse.

Lesson 5 usually takes one to three weeks. After tanween, the Qaida continues with standing vowels (lesson 6), madd letters (lesson 7), sukoon and shaddah. Our teachers cover every step in the Noorani Qaida course; you can book a free trial to see how a lesson works.