Noon Sakinah and Tanween: The Four Rules Explained
Izhar, Idgham, Iqlab and Ikhfa cover all 28 letters between them. What each one does, which letters trigger it, and the exceptions worth knowing.
This is usually the first formal Tajweed topic a student meets, and it is more tractable than it looks. There are four rules, they divide all 28 letters between them with none left over, and the whole system can be learned in a few weeks.
What the two things are
Noon sakinah is the letter ن carrying a sukoon — a noon with no vowel of its own, as in مِنْ.
Tanween is the doubled vowel mark at the end of a word — ـً ـٍ ـٌ — which is pronounced as a vowel followed by an unwritten noon sakinah. كِتَابٌ is said kitaabun.
Because tanween ends in that same noon sound, both follow exactly the same four rules. Learn them once.
The rule that applies depends only on the letter immediately after. That is the entire decision.
The four rules at a glance
| Rule | Meaning | Letters | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Izhar | Pronounce the noon clearly | ء ه ع ح غ خ | 6 |
| Idgham | Merge the noon into the next letter | ي ر م ل و ن | 6 |
| Iqlab | Convert the noon into a meem | ب | 1 |
| Ikhfa | Conceal the noon, with ghunnah | Everything else | 15 |
6 + 6 + 1 + 15 = 28. Every letter is accounted for, which is why the efficient approach is to memorize the first three groups and treat the remainder as Ikhfa by elimination.
1. Izhar — clear pronunciation
Trigger: the six throat letters, ء ه ع ح غ خ.
The noon is pronounced plainly and completely, with no ghunnah held and no merging. It sounds exactly like a normal noon.
The logic is anatomical rather than arbitrary: the throat letters are produced far from the noon's articulation point at the tip of the tongue, so there is nothing to blend into.
Examples: مَنْ آمَنَ · مِنْ هَادٍ · أَنْعَمْتَ · مِنْ خَيْرٍ
أَنْعَمْتَ is in Surah Al-Fatihah, which makes it the easiest example to check against your own recitation right now.
2. Idgham — merging
Trigger: the six letters of يَرْمَلُون — ي ر م ل و ن.
The noon disappears into the following letter, which is doubled. Idgham splits into two kinds:
With ghunnah — ي ن م و (remembered as يَنْمُو). The merge carries about two counts of nasal resonance. Example: مَنْ يَقُولُ becomes may-yaqool with ghunnah held.
Without ghunnah — ل ر. The noon merges completely with no nasal sound at all. Example: مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ becomes mir-rabbihim, cleanly.
3. Iqlab — conversion
Trigger: one letter, ب.
The noon sound is converted into a meem, with ghunnah held for about two counts, and the lips come together without full closure.
Example: مِنْ بَعْدِ is pronounced mim-ba'di, not min-ba'di.
Many mushafs print a small meem above the noon to mark it. One letter, one rule — this is the easiest of the four.
4. Ikhfa — concealment
Trigger: the remaining fifteen letters: ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك
The noon is neither pronounced clearly nor fully merged. It sits between the two: the tongue does not quite make the noon's contact, and ghunnah is held for about two counts while the mouth prepares for the next letter.
Examples: مِنْ قَبْلُ · أَنْتَ · مِنْ شَيْءٍ · كُنْتُمْ
Ikhfa is the most common of the four in practice, and the one students most often get approximately right — usually by producing a clear noon instead. The test is whether your tongue touches the gum ridge: in Ikhfa it should not.
A decision procedure
When you reach a noon sakinah or tanween:
- Is the next letter ب? → Iqlab.
- Is it one of ء ه ع ح غ خ? → Izhar.
- Is it one of ي ر م ل و ن? → Idgham (with ghunnah except ل ر).
- Otherwise → Ikhfa.
Run this consciously for a few weeks and it becomes automatic. Nearly every student finds Ikhfa the last to feel natural, because it is a partial sound rather than a definite one.
What about Meem Sakinah?
The companion topic, and simpler — three rules:
| Rule | Trigger | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Ikhfa Shafawi | ب | Meem concealed with ghunnah |
| Idgham Shafawi | م | Merges into the following meem with ghunnah |
| Izhar Shafawi | All others | Meem pronounced clearly |
Shafawi means "of the lips", since meem is a lip letter.
Knowing them is not the same as applying them
You can learn this page in a week. Applying it while reading at pace, without stopping to think, takes months — and that gap is where a teacher earns their place. Reading a rule cannot tell you that your Ikhfa is actually a clear noon; only a listener can.
If you are consolidating the underlying sounds first, start with Makharij: where each Arabic letter is produced.
Not sure which stage you are at? The two-minute level quiz, four questions, no email. Classes: Quran classes for adults.
Next in this cluster: Madd rules: how long is each prolongation? · Seven Tajweed mistakes self-taught readers make
