Learn · Unit 4 of 9
Tanwin: the doubled endings
Tanwin is one idea, applied three times. Take a short vowel at the end of a word, write it twice, and read an n after it. Nothing else about the word changes, and no noon is written anywhere.
The 3 tanwin marks
fathatan
reads as "an"
Two fathas, read "an". It is usually written on a letter with an alif after it, and that alif is silent when you stop on the word.
kasratan
reads as "in"
Two kasras, read "in". It sits under the last letter.
dammatan
reads as "un"
Two dammas, read "un". It sits above the last letter.
Why tanwin matters later
Tanwin behaves exactly like a noon with no vowel on it. That is not a coincidence and it is not a metaphor: the whole noon sakinah family of tajweed rules in unit 9, izhar, idgham, iqlab and ikhfa, applies to tanwin on the same terms. Learning tanwin now means four rules cost you nothing later.
3 real words to read
أَحَدٌ
Two dammas on the last letter: read dun. The n sound is spoken but written nowhere.
خُسۡرٍ
Two kasras under the last letter: read rin.
كُفُوًا
Two fathas, with an alif written after them. Run on to the next word and you read the n; stop on this word and the alif carries a long a instead.
Check yourself
Is there a letter noon in a word with tanwin?
No. The n sound is carried entirely by the doubled mark; nothing is written on the line.
What happens to tanwin when you stop on the word?
The n sound is dropped. On fathatan you stop on the alif and read a long a; on kasratan and dammatan you stop on the bare letter.
Where does tanwin appear in a word?
On the last letter, and only there.
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These lessons cover reading mechanics only. For recitation itself, learn with a teacher; text can show you the rules, not your own voice.
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