Tajweed means "to make better" or "to beautify". In Quran recitation it refers to pronouncing every letter correctly, from its proper place, with its proper qualities. You do not need to learn every advanced rule at once. Most beginners focus on the following foundations, practised with a teacher.
- Makharij: where letters come from
- Heavy and light letters
- Noon sakinah and tanween
- Meem sakinah
- Ghunnah
- Qalqalah
- Madd
- How to practise
1. Makharij: where each letter comes from
Every Arabic letter has a point of articulation (makhraj) in the throat, tongue, lips or nasal passage. Letters that sound similar to English speakers, such as ح and ه, or ع and ء, come from different places. Learning the makharij is the single most important step, because a wrong makhraj can change a word's meaning.
2. Heavy and light letters (tafkheem and tarqeeq)
Seven letters are always pronounced heavy, with a full, deep sound: خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ (often remembered as khuss daghtin qiz). Most other letters are light. Some letters, such as ر and the ل in the name of Allah, change depending on the vowels around them.
3. Rules of noon sakinah and tanween
When a noon with sukoon (نْ) or tanween is followed by certain letters, its pronunciation changes in one of four ways:
| Rule | Meaning | Followed by |
|---|---|---|
| Izhar | Pronounce the noon clearly | The six throat letters: ء ه ع ح غ خ |
| Idgham | Merge the noon into the next letter | ي ر م ل و ن |
| Iqlab | Change the noon into a meem sound | ب |
| Ikhfa | Hide the noon with a nasal sound | The remaining 15 letters |
4. Rules of meem sakinah
A meem with sukoon (مْ) has three rules: Ikhfa Shafawi before ب (hide it with ghunnah), Idgham Shafawi before another م (merge with ghunnah), and Izhar Shafawi before all other letters (pronounce it clearly, especially before و and ف).
5. Ghunnah
Ghunnah is the nasal sound produced from the nose. It is held for about two counts on a noon or meem with shaddah (نّ, مّ) and in the rules of ikhfa, iqlab and idgham with ghunnah.
6. Qalqalah
Five letters, ق ط ب ج د (remembered as qutbu jad), produce a slight echoing or bouncing sound when they have sukoon, and a stronger one when you stop on them at the end of a verse, as in al-falaq.
7. Madd: elongation
Madd means stretching a vowel sound. The natural madd (madd tabee'i) lasts two counts and occurs with the long vowels ا و ي. Other types, such as connected madd (muttasil) and separated madd (munfasil), are stretched longer when followed by a hamzah. Your teacher will show you the counts used in your style of recitation.
8. How to practise Tajweed effectively
- Learn by listening. Recite to a qualified teacher who can hear and correct you. Rules on paper rarely fix pronunciation on their own.
- One rule at a time. Spend a week noticing one rule wherever it appears in your daily reading.
- Use short surahs. Juz Amma is full of examples and is what you recite most in Salah.
- Record yourself and compare with a trusted reciter.
- Little and often. Ten minutes every day beats an hour once a week.
Ready to practise with a teacher? See our online Tajweed classes or book a free trial lesson.