The three short vowels
- Fatḥah (فَتْحَة): a small diagonal line above the letter. Sound: a. Example: بَ = ba
- Kasrah (كَسْرَة): a small diagonal line below the letter. Sound: i. Example: بِ = bi
- Ḍammah (ضَمَّة): a small curl like a mini wāw above the letter. Sound: u. Example: بُ = bu
Put together, they let you read whole words. كَتَبَ is ka-ta-ba (he wrote).
Sukun: no vowel
The sukūn (سُكُون) is a small circle above a letter. It means the letter has no vowel and is pronounced on its own, closing the syllable. In بِسْمِ (bismi), the sīn has a sukūn, so you read bis-mi rather than bi-sa-mi.
Shadda: doubling a letter
The shaddah (شَدَّة) looks like a small w above the letter. It doubles the letter, so you hold or stress it. In رَبّ (rabb, Lord) the bā is doubled. The shaddah usually has a vowel mark with it, as in اللَّهُ, where the lām is doubled.
Tanwin: the n ending
Tanwīn (تَنْوِين) is a doubled vowel mark at the end of a word. It adds an n sound:
- Two fatḥahs (ـً): -an, often written with an extra alif, as in كِتَابًا (kitāban)
- Two kasrahs (ـٍ): -in, as in كِتَابٍ (kitābin)
- Two ḍammahs (ـٌ): -un, as in كِتَابٌ (kitābun)
Tanwīn usually marks a word as indefinite, similar to “a” in English: kitābun means “a book”.
Long vowels
Three letters lengthen a vowel when they follow the matching short vowel:
- Fatḥah + ا = long ā, as in قَالَ (qāla, he said)
- Kasrah + ي = long ī, as in رَحِيم (raḥīm, merciful)
- Ḍammah + و = long ū, as in نُور (nūr, light)
Hold a long vowel for about twice as long as a short one. In Quran recitation, tajwīd rules sometimes lengthen them further.
Where you will see harakat
The Quran is printed with full vowel marks so that it is read correctly. Children’s books and learning materials also use them. Most everyday Arabic writing, such as newspapers and signs, leaves them out, and readers work out the vowels from context. Learning with full ḥarakāt first is the best way to build accurate reading.
