Noon Sakinah and Tanween: The 4 Rules, With Examples
You'll meet noon sakinah or tanween within a line or two on any page of the Quran. Get these four rules right and your recitation already sounds very different.
By Hafiz Furqan, Head of Teachers at Online Study Quran · Reviewed on November 9, 2026
What counts as noon sakinah and tanween?
Noon sakinah: a noon with no vowel, written with a sukoon or pronounced that way. It can be in the middle or at the end of a word.
Tanween: the doubled vowel at the end of a noun ('alīmun, 'alīman, 'alīmin). It isn't written as a noon but sounds like one, so the same four rules apply. It only appears at the end of a word.
Which rule applies to which letter?
Tap any letter that comes after the noon to see the rule.
The colour shows its rule group.
Rule 1: What is izhar?
ء ه ع ح غ خClear pronunciation before the six throat letters. They're made far from where noon is produced, so the noon stays clear, with no extra nasal sound.
Rule 2: What is idgham?
ي ر م ل و نMerging before the six letters of يَرْمَلُونَ. The noon is absorbed into the next letter as if it had a shaddah. There are two kinds:
Merge, but keep a two-count nasal sound.
The noon disappears completely, with no hum.
Rule 3: What is iqlab?
بChanging to meem before ب only. The noon becomes a meem, said with lightly closed lips and a two-count ghunnah. Many mushafs print a small meem above the noon as a reminder.
Rule 4: What is ikhfa?
ص ذ ث ك ج ش ق س د ط ز ف ت ض ظHiding before the remaining fifteen letters. The noon is neither fully said nor fully merged: the tongue doesn't touch where it normally makes a noon, and the sound comes through the nose for about two counts while the mouth prepares for the next letter.
How can you remember all four rules?
| Rule | Letters | What you do | Ghunnah? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Izhar | ء ه ع ح غ خ | Say the noon clearly | No |
| Idgham with ghunnah | ي ن م و | Merge into the next letter | Yes, 2 counts |
| Idgham without ghunnah | ل ر | Merge completely | No |
| Iqlab | ب | Turn it into a meem | Yes, 2 counts |
| Ikhfa | the other 15 | Half-hide it | Yes, 2 counts |
How should you practise?
It usually takes a couple of weeks before the rules start happening without thinking. Meem sakinah follows the same idea with fewer letters, so it's the natural next step.
Noon sakinah questions
How many rules of noon sakinah and tanween are there?
Four: izhar, idgham, iqlab and ikhfa. Idgham is split into idgham with ghunnah (ي ن م و) and without ghunnah (ل ر), so some teachers count five.
What is the difference between noon sakinah and tanween?
Noon sakinah is a written noon without a vowel and can appear anywhere in a word. Tanween is a doubled vowel at the end of a noun that is pronounced like a noon. Both follow the same four rules.
How long is the ghunnah in ikhfa and iqlab?
About two counts, the time it takes to fold two fingers at a steady pace.
Why is there no idgham in الدنيا?
Idgham only applies when noon sakinah and the next letter are in two separate words. Inside one word, as in الدنيا, بنيان, صنوان and قنوان, the noon is read clearly to keep the word's meaning.
The "find it, name it, say it" routine is the one we use with our tajweed students. Examples follow the Hafs 'an 'Asim reading. Written by Hafiz Furqan, Head of Teachers at Online Study Quran.
Reviewed November 9, 2026.