Tajweed rules in Arabic terms can feel like a new language: makhraj, ghunnah, ikhfa, madd lazim. This glossary explains 60 essential Tajweed terms in plain English, grouped by topic so you can see how they fit together. Every definition follows the recitation of Hafs ‘an ‘Asim via al-Shatibiyyah. Keep it open while you study, or use it alongside your lessons when you master Tajweed with a teacher.
Knowing the names will not make your recitation correct on its own, but it makes every correction faster, because you and your teacher share the same vocabulary.
Key takeaways
- Most Tajweed terms fall into six families: basics, articulation, letter qualities, noon and meem rules, madd, and stopping.
- Many terms come in pairs of opposites, such as hams and jahr or tafkheem and tarqeeq.
- Counts (harakat) are the unit for measuring ghunnah and madd lengths.
- Learn the term, then hear it applied by a teacher until you recognize it by ear.
Core Terms
These are the words you will hear in your very first lessons.
| # | Term | Arabic | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tajweed | تجويد | Giving every letter its right in pronunciation and quality |
| 2 | Tarteel | ترتيل | Calm, measured recitation, commanded in Surah Al-Muzzammil (73:4) |
| 3 | Lahn jali | لحن جلي | A clear error that changes a letter, vowel or sukun |
| 4 | Lahn khafi | لحن خفي | A hidden error against finer rules, such as a short ghunnah |
| 5 | Harakah | حركة | A short vowel; also the unit used to count lengths |
| 6 | Fathah | فتحة | The short “a” vowel, written above the letter |
| 7 | Kasrah | كسرة | The short “i” vowel, written below the letter |
| 8 | Dammah | ضمة | The short “u” vowel, written above the letter |
| 9 | Sukun | سكون | No vowel: the letter is pronounced and stopped |
| 10 | Shaddah | شدة | A doubled letter: one with sukun followed by the same letter with a vowel |
| 11 | Tanween | تنوين | An extra noon sound at the end of a noun, shown by doubled vowel marks |
The difference between lahn jali and lahn khafi is explained in more depth in our guide to lahn jali and lahn khafi.
Articulation Terms
Each Arabic letter has a point where its sound is produced.
| # | Term | Arabic | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Makhraj | مخرج | The articulation point of a letter (plural: makharij) |
| 13 | Jawf | جوف | The open space of the mouth and throat, the origin of the madd letters |
| 14 | Halq | حلق | The throat, with three regions producing six letters |
| 15 | Lisan | لسان | The tongue, which produces the largest number of letters |
| 16 | Shafatan | شفتان | The two lips, producing ف ب م و |
| 17 | Khayshum | خيشوم | The nasal passage, where ghunnah is produced |
These are the areas where non-Arabic speakers struggle most. Our guide to Tajweed for non-Arabs covers the sounds that do not exist in English and similar languages.
Letter Qualities (Sifat)
Two letters can share a makhraj and still sound different because of their qualities.
| # | Term | Arabic | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Sifah | صفة | A quality of a letter (plural: sifat) |
| 19 | Hams | همس | Breath flows with the letter: ف ح ث ه ش خ ص س ك ت |
| 20 | Jahr | جهر | Breath is held back, giving a voiced sound; the opposite of hams |
| 21 | Shiddah | شدة | The sound stops sharply: أ ج د ق ط ب ك ت |
| 22 | Rakhawah | رخاوة | The sound flows on; the opposite of shiddah |
| 23 | Isti’la | استعلاء | The back of the tongue rises: خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ |
| 24 | Istifal | استفال | The tongue stays low; the opposite of isti’la |
| 25 | Itbaq | إطباق | The tongue presses against the palate: ص ض ط ظ |
| 26 | Qalqalah | قلقلة | An echoing bounce on ق ط ب ج د with sukun |
| 27 | Tafkheem | تفخيم | Heavy, full pronunciation |
| 28 | Tarqeeq | ترقيق | Light, thin pronunciation |
Noon Sakinah, Tanween and Meem Sakinah
These rules produce more hidden errors than any other set.
| # | Term | Arabic | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Noon sakinah | نون ساكنة | A noon carrying a sukun |
| 30 | Ghunnah | غنة | A nasal sound held for 2 counts |
| 31 | Izhar halqi | إظهار حلقي | Clear noon before the throat letters ء ه ع ح غ خ |
| 32 | Idgham | إدغام | Merging into the next letter: with ghunnah in ي ن م و, without in ل ر |
| 33 | Iqlab | إقلاب | Noon turns into a hidden meem with ghunnah before ب |
| 34 | Ikhfa haqiqi | إخفاء حقيقي | Noon hidden with ghunnah before the remaining 15 letters |
| 35 | Izhar shafawi | إظهار شفوي | Clear meem sakinah before all letters except م and ب |
| 36 | Ikhfa shafawi | إخفاء شفوي | Meem sakinah hidden with ghunnah before ب |
| 37 | Idgham shafawi | إدغام شفوي | Meem sakinah merged into a following meem, with ghunnah |
Note that idgham does not apply when noon sakinah and one of ي or و are in the same word, as in دُنْيَا, where the noon stays clear. For full examples, see our article on noon sakinah and tanween rules.
Before moving on to madd, try the flashcards below. Flip each card, say the meaning aloud, and check yourself.
Tajweed Terms Flashcards
Flip each card to test yourself on the key Arabic terms of Tajweed
Madd (Lengthening)
Madd lengths are measured in counts (harakat), each roughly the time it takes to say one short vowel.
| # | Term | Arabic | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | Madd | مد | Lengthening the sound of a madd letter |
| 39 | Huruf al-madd | حروف المد | The madd letters: alif after fathah, waw with sukun after dammah, ya with sukun after kasrah |
| 40 | Madd tabi’i | مد طبيعي | The natural madd: 2 counts |
| 41 | Madd muttasil | مد متصل | Madd letter then hamza in the same word: 4 or 5 counts (up to 6 when stopping on the hamza) |
| 42 | Madd munfasil | مد منفصل | Madd letter at the end of a word, hamza at the start of the next: 4 or 5 counts |
| 43 | Madd lazim | مد لازم | Madd letter followed by a permanent sukun or shaddah: 6 counts |
| 44 | Madd ‘arid lis-sukun | مد عارض للسكون | Madd before a letter you stop on: 2, 4 or 6 counts |
| 45 | Madd leen | مد لين | Waw or ya with sukun after fathah, lengthened only when stopping: 2, 4 or 6 |
| 46 | Madd badal | مد بدل | Hamza followed by a madd letter, as in ءَامَنُوا: 2 counts |
| 47 | Madd ‘iwad | مد عوض | Stopping on tanween with fathah: a 2-count alif |
| 48 | Madd silah | مد صلة | The pronoun ha between two vowels lengthened: 2 counts, or 4 to 5 before a hamza |
Whatever lengths you choose for muttasil and munfasil, keep them consistent throughout your recitation. Our guide to madd muttasil and munfasil explains the options.
Other Common Rules
| # | Term | Arabic | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | Lam shamsiyyah | لام شمسية | The lam of “al” merges into the next letter, as in الشَّمْس |
| 50 | Lam qamariyyah | لام قمرية | The lam of “al” is pronounced clearly, as in الْقَمَر |
| 51 | Hamzat al-wasl | همزة الوصل | A hamza pronounced only when starting, dropped when connecting |
| 52 | Hamzat al-qat’ | همزة القطع | A hamza always pronounced |
| 53 | Idgham mutamathilayn | إدغام متماثلين | Merging two identical letters, the first with sukun |
| 54 | Idgham mutajanisayn | إدغام متجانسين | Merging letters that share a makhraj, as د into ت in قَد تَّبَيَّنَ |
| 55 | Idgham mutaqaribayn | إدغام متقاربين | Merging letters with close makharij, as ل into ر in قُل رَّبِّ |
Stopping and Transmission
| # | Term | Arabic | Meaning in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 56 | Waqf | وقف | Stopping at the end of a word with a breath |
| 57 | Ibtida’ | ابتداء | Starting again after a stop, from a suitable place |
| 58 | Wasl | وصل | Joining one word to the next without stopping |
| 59 | Saktah | سكتة | A pause of about two counts without breath; four fixed places in Hafs |
| 60 | Riwayah | رواية | A transmission of a recitation, such as Hafs from ‘Asim |
Terms help you understand corrections. When your teacher says “your ikhfa was too short,” a student who knows the vocabulary fixes it immediately.
How to Learn These Terms Quickly
- Learn by family. Study one table at a time instead of memorizing all 60 at once.
- Attach an example. For every term, find one word in Surah Al-Fatiha or Juz Amma where it appears. Our guide to mistakes in Surah Al-Fatiha is a good place to see rules in action.
- Say the term while reciting. When you meet an ikhfa, name it in your head.
- Review with flashcards daily for a week, then weekly.
Reading a glossary builds understanding, but only listening and correction build accuracy. In our Tajweed rules course, teachers introduce these terms step by step while correcting your recitation live.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know the Arabic names of Tajweed rules?
You can recite correctly without them, but knowing the names makes learning much faster. Teachers and books use these terms constantly, so learning them helps you follow explanations and remember corrections.
What is the difference between makhraj and sifah?
Makhraj is where a letter is produced, such as the throat or the lips. Sifah is how it is produced, such as heavy or light, with breath or without. Both are needed to pronounce a letter correctly.
How many counts is a harakah in Tajweed?
One harakah is the time it takes to pronounce one short vowel at a steady pace. The natural madd is two harakat, and the longest madd, madd lazim, is six.
Which Tajweed terms should beginners learn first?
Start with the core terms (harakah, sukun, shaddah, tanween), then makhraj, ghunnah and the four noon sakinah rules. After that, move to madd tabi’i and qalqalah. A teacher in online Tajweed classes can guide the order based on your level.
Fix Your Tajweed With Live Correction
One-to-one Tajweed lessons where a certified teacher hears every letter. Start with a free class.
Master tajweed with a teacherBook a free trial class
