---
title: "Ikhfa Rules in Tajweed: When and How to Pronounce It"
description: "Ikhfa rules in tajweed: before one of 15 letters, a noon sakinah or tanween is hidden with a two-count ghunnah. Learn the rule, examples and mistakes."
url: "https://iqraairtqi.com/en/blogs/ikhfa-rules-tajweed-guide"
date: "2026-08-16T19:00:53+00:00"
---

# Ikhfa Rules in Tajweed: When and How to Pronounce It

<div class="whiteboard-box">- 🫥 **Ikhfa** means pronouncing a noon sakinah or tanween in a state between clear pronunciation and merging, without stress and with a two-count ghunnah.
- 🔤 It happens before **fifteen letters**, the ones left after izhar, idgham and iqlab.
- 👅 The tongue does not touch the noon's articulation point; it prepares for the next letter's.
- ⚠️ Do not pronounce the noon clearly, and do not stress the letter after it.

</div>When does ikhfa happen?
-----------------------

When a noon sakinah or tanween is followed by one of these fifteen letters: **ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك**. If any other letter follows, the rule is izhar, idgham or iqlab. The letters are easy to remember from the first letters of the words of this line: «صِفْ ذَا ثَنَا كَمْ جَادَ شَخْصٌ قَدْ سَمَا دُمْ طَيِّبًا زِدْ فِي تُقًى ضَعْ ظَالِمًا».

How to pronounce ikhfa
----------------------

1. Look at the letter after the noon sakinah or tanween. If it is one of the fifteen, this is ikhfa.
2. Do not pronounce the noon clearly and do not merge it.
3. Prepare your tongue for the next letter's articulation point without touching the noon's.
4. Let the ghunnah sound through the nose for two counts, then say the next letter without stress.

Why is it called ikhfa?
-----------------------

Ikhfa literally means concealing. The noon is concealed before these letters: it is neither clear nor merged, and only its trace, the ghunnah, remains.

The three levels of ikhfa
-------------------------

The strength of ikhfa depends on how close the next letter is to the noon's articulation point. The **high** level is before ta (ط), dal and ta (ت); the **low** level is before qaf and kaf; the **middle** level is before the other letters.

Examples of ikhfa in the Quran
------------------------------

<table><tr><th>Example</th><th>Letter after the noon</th></tr><tr><td>﴿مِن قَبْلُ﴾</td><td>qaf</td></tr><tr><td>﴿أَنتُمْ﴾</td><td>ta</td></tr><tr><td>﴿كُنتُمْ﴾</td><td>ta</td></tr><tr><td>﴿مَن دَخَلَهُ﴾</td><td>dal</td></tr><tr><td>﴿مِن شَيْءٍ﴾</td><td>sheen</td></tr><tr><td>﴿عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ﴾</td><td>sad</td></tr></table>

Common mistakes in ikhfa
------------------------

- **Pronouncing the noon clearly** before the next letter.
- **Stressing the next letter**, which is idgham, not ikhfa.
- **Dropping the ghunnah** or making it shorter than two counts.
- **Closing the mouth** as if it were iqlab or a meem.

For more detail read [the fifteen letters of ikhfa with examples](/blogs/tajweed-rules-ikhfaa) and [idgham, ikhfa and iqlab: how to tell them apart](/blogs/understanding-idgham-in-tajweed).

To practise this with a teacher who follows your progress, start with a free trial class at our [online Quran academy](/en/online-quran-academy).

<div class="faq-section">#### Frequently asked questions

<div class="faq-item">**Q: How many letters does ikhfa have?**A: Fifteen: ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك.

</div><div class="faq-item">**Q: Can ikhfa happen inside one word?**A: Yes, as in ﴿أَنتُمْ﴾ and ﴿كُنتُمْ﴾, as well as between two words as in ﴿مِن قَبْلُ﴾.

</div><div class="faq-item">**Q: How long is the ghunnah in ikhfa?**A: Two counts.

</div><div class="faq-item">**Q: What is the difference between ikhfa and idgham?**A: In idgham the letter after the noon is stressed. In ikhfa there is no stress and the ghunnah stays.

</div></div><div style="text-align:center;margin:35px 0;padding:24px;background:#f0f7f4;border-radius:16px;">Ready to start with a specialist teacher?

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