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Tajweed Rules

Tajweed, rule by rule: the letters, the gesture, examples to hear and the numbers of the Quran.

Tajweed (تجويد) gathers the rules that tell how to pronounce each letter of the Quran: when the sound goes through the nose, when two letters merge, when a letter bounces, when a vowel is lengthened. This guide covers 29 of them, in the Hafs reading, with their letters, examples to hear and their count in the Quran.

Families of rules

The rules are grouped by the letter that triggers them: the noon, the meem, the long vowel, the lām of “al”, the hamzah.

Other rules

Practise: tajweed exercises with answers

The 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet: points of articulation and characteristics

The signs of the course

The same signs everywhere, from the first lesson to the last.

All 29 rules, one by one

In the order they are learned: each lesson builds on the ones before.

Module 0 · Reading before reciting

  1. 0.1Short vowels
  2. 0.2Sukoon
  3. 0.3Shaddah
  4. 0.4Tanween
  5. 0.5Long vowels
  6. 0.6Hamza and alif
  7. 0.7Al-Fatiha word by word

Module 1 · The letters and where they come from

  1. 1.1The Arabic Alphabet: All 28 Letters
  2. 1.2The 28 letters, one by one
  3. 1.3Makharij
  4. 1.4Qualities of the letters
  5. 1.5Tafkheem and Tarqeeqالتفخيم والترقيق

    A heavy letter is said with the tongue raised toward the palate: the sound fills the mouth. A light letter is said with the tongue low.

Module 2 · Ghunnah

  1. 2.1Ghunnahغنّة

    On a doubled nūn or mīm, the sound goes through the nose and is held two counts.

Module 3 · Noon sakinah and tanween

  1. 3.0Noon Sakinah and Tanween Rules
  2. 3.1Izhar Halqiإظهار حلقي

    Before a throat letter, a nūn with no vowel or a tanwīn is said clearly, without holding the nasal sound.
  3. 3.2Idgham with Ghunnahإدغام بغنّة

    The nūn merges into the next letter, with a nasal sound held two counts.
  4. 3.3Idgham without Ghunnahإدغام بلا غنّة

    The nūn disappears completely into the lām or rā that follows, with no nasal sound.
  5. 3.4Iqlabإقلاب

    Before a bā, the nūn turns into a mīm, with a nasal sound held two counts.
  6. 3.5Ikhfaإخفاء

    The nūn is not said clearly: it hides in a nasal sound, held two counts.

Module 4 · Meem sakinah

  1. 4.0Meem Sakinah Rules
  2. 4.1Ikhfa Shafawiإخفاء شفوي

    Before a bā, the mīm is not said clearly: it keeps a nasal sound for two counts.
  3. 4.2Idgham Shafawiإدغام شفوي

    A mīm with no vowel, then another mīm: they become one doubled mīm, with a nasal sound of two counts.
  4. 4.3Izhar Shafawiإظهار شفوي

    Before every letter except bā and mīm, a mīm with no vowel is said clearly, without holding the nasal sound.

Module 5 · Madd

  1. 5.0Madd in Tajweed: the Lengthening Rules
  2. 5.1Madd Tabee'eeمدّ طبيعي

    A long vowel with no hamzah or sukoon after it is held two counts.
  3. 5.2Madd Muttasilمدّ متصل

    Inside one word, a long vowel followed by a hamzah is held four or five counts.
  4. 5.3Madd Munfasilمدّ منفصل

    A long vowel ends a word and a hamzah opens the next: four or five counts.
  5. 5.4Madd 'Aarid Li-Sukunمدّ عارض للسكون

    When you stop, a long vowel placed just before the last letter may last two, four or six counts.
  6. 5.5Madd Lazimمدّ لازم

    A long vowel, then a doubled or always-vowelless letter: it is held six counts.
  7. 5.6Madd Badalمدّ البدل

    Madd badal is a long vowel that comes right after a hamzah: first the hamzah, then the lengthening.
  8. 5.7Madd 'Iwadمدّ العوض

    Madd ʿiwad is the alif said when stopping, in place of a tanween with fathah: “-an” becomes “-ā”, two counts.

Module 6 · Qalqalah

  1. 6.1Qalqalahقلقلة

    With no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce.

Module 7 · The article and the hamza

  1. 7.1Lam Shamsiyyahلام شمسية

    In “al”, before one of the 14 sun letters, the lām is not said: the next letter is doubled.
  2. 7.2Lam Qamariyyahلام قمرية

    In “al”, before one of the 14 moon letters, the lām is said clearly, with its sukūn.
  3. 7.3Lam Shamsiyyah, Lam Qamariyyah and the Lam in Allah
  4. 7.4Hamzat al-Waslهمزة وصل

    The joining hamzah (ٱ), at the start of some words: said if you begin on that word, not if you read on.
  5. 7.5Hamzat al-Qat'همزة قطع

    A hamzah that is always said: when you start reading and when you join from the word before.
  6. 7.6Hamzat al-Wasl and Hamzat al-Qat'

Module 8 · Rā and the lām of the name of Allah

  1. 8.1Heavy and Light Raأحكام الراء

    Rā is said heavy or light depending on its vowel; when vowelless, depending on what comes before it.
  2. 8.2Lam in the Word Allahلام لفظ الجلالة

    The lām of the name of Allah is said heavy after a fathah or a dammah, light after a kasrah.

Module 9 · When two letters meet

  1. 9.1Idgham Mithlaynإدغام مثلين

    Two identical letters follow each other, the first with no vowel: it merges into the second, which is said doubled.
  2. 9.2Idgham Mutajanisaynإدغام متجانسين

    A letter with no vowel, then a letter from the same place in the mouth: the first merges into the second.
  3. 9.3Idgham Mutaqaribaynإدغام متقاربين

    A letter with no vowel, then a letter from a neighbouring place: the first merges into the second.
  4. 9.4When Two Letters Meet: Mithlayn, Mutajanisayn, Mutaqaribayn

Module 10 · Stopping (waqf) and starting again

  1. 10.1Waqf Signsعلامات الوقف

    Stop signs are small markers above the line: they show where to stop, where to carry on and where to choose, to keep the meaning.
  2. 10.2Waqf (Stopping)الوقف

    Stopping is cutting the voice at the end of a word to take a breath, intending to carry on: the last letter loses its vowel.
  3. 10.4Waqf: Where and How to Stop

Module 11 · Words particular to Hafs

  1. 11.1Special words of Hafs

Tajweed in the Quran, in numbers

Occurrences of each rule in the Quran, from the most frequent to the rarest (text of the Madani Mushaf, Hafs reading)
RuleIn the QuranSurahs
Madd Tabee'ee 36,053 114
Hamzat al-Qat' 19,170 114
Tafkheem and Tarqeeq 16,636 114
Hamzat al-Wasl 13,252 114
Heavy and Light Ra 12,394 113
Waqf (Stopping) 6,216 114
Izhar Shafawi 5,537 105
Lam Qamariyyah 5,480 113
Ikhfa 5,301 108
Ghunnah 4,946 108
Madd 'Aarid Li-Sukun 4,543 88
Waqf Signs 4,359 84
Idgham with Ghunnah 3,933 99
Qalqalah 3,834 109
Madd Munfasil 3,172 101
Izhar Halqi 2,831 103
Lam Shamsiyyah 2,733 108
Lam in the Word Allah 2,704 85
Madd Muttasil 1,997 96
Madd Badal 1,853 91
Idgham without Ghunnah 1,035 95
Madd 'Iwad 903 33
Idgham Shafawi 832 77
Iqlab 562 83
Ikhfa Shafawi 496 75
Madd Lazim 148 56
Idgham Mithlayn 143 49
Idgham Mutajanisayn 58 29
Idgham Mutaqaribayn 13 9

Counted on the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading).

Read the rules here. Learn them by reciting.

Frequently asked questions

How many tajweed rules are there?

Textbooks classify them in several ways. This guide covers 29: the 17 this site colours in the Quran, plus 12 that Tilawa computes letter by letter (Izhar Halqi, Izhar Shafawi, Lam Qamariyyah, Hamzat al-Qat', Tafkheem and Tarqeeq, Heavy and Light Ra, Lam in the Word Allah, Idgham Mithlayn, Madd Badal, Madd 'Iwad, Waqf Signs and Waqf (Stopping)).

Which rule is the most frequent?

Among the rules placed on a letter (the table adds heavy letters, the rā, the lām of Allah and stopping): Madd Tabee'ee, 36,053 times in the Quran. Then Hamzat al-Qat' (19,170) and Hamzat al-Wasl (13,252).

Which reading does this guide follow?

The Hafs ʿan ʿAsim reading, by way of the Shatibiyyah: the reading of the Madani Mushaf. The lengths and letters on these pages follow it.

Why is the Quran in colour on this site?

Each colour marks a tajweed rule, placed on its letters. They are the colours of the Tilawa app: a hidden noon, a merge or a lengthening can be seen before it is recited.

How can I check my tajweed when I recite?

Tajweed is learned by ear: you need to hear yourself. Recite out loud in the Tilawa app, on iPhone or Android. It follows your recitation word by word and shows you the rules you missed or got wrong, with the correct recitation to replay.

Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error