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Qalqalah is a slight echoing or bouncing sound produced when one of five letters has a sukun. The letters are ق ط ب ج د, remembered as «قطب جد» (qutb jad). These letters are strong and voiced, so when they are silent the sound is trapped, and the small bounce lets the letter be heard clearly.
| Level | When | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (sughra) | Letter with sukun in the middle of a word, or at the end while continuing | يَقْطَعُونَ |
| Major (kubra) | Letter at the end of a word when you stop on it | الْفَلَقِ (stopping) |
| Strongest (by some scholars) | Doubled letter at the end when stopping | الْحَقّْ، وَتَبّْ |
How to pronounce qalqalah correctly
- Make a light bounce after the letter without turning it into a full vowel.
- Scholars differ on its quality: some make it closer to fathah, others make it follow the vowel before it; follow what you learned from your teacher.
- Only letters with sukun have qalqalah.
Common mistakes
- Skipping qalqalah, especially on ب and د.
- Exaggerating it until an extra vowel is heard.
- Adding qalqalah to letters outside قطب جد, such as ك or ت.
Part of our Tajweed Rules Chart, a complete overview of all the rules.
Practise qalqalah with a teacher
Tajweed is learned by listening and reciting to a qualified teacher; reading the rules is only the start. At Al-Azhar Message Academy you recite one-to-one on Zoom or Google Meet to a male or female teacher who is an Al-Azhar graduate holding ijazah with a connected sanad, and the teacher corrects you live. Plans start at $40 per month for 8 lessons, and your first 30-minute lesson is free. See Learn Tajweed rules online and Online Quran Classes for Adults.
Frequently Asked Questions about qalqalah
What are the qalqalah letters?
Five letters: qaf, taa, baa, jeem and daal, remembered as «قطب جد».
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Does a voweled letter have qalqalah?
No. Qalqalah applies only when the letter has a sukun.
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