Ikhfa in Tajweed: The 15 Letters of Hiding With Easy Examples

Ikhfa in tajweed is one of the most common rules you will meet when reading the Quran. It appears on almost every page, so learning it well makes your recitation smoother and closer to how the Quran was taught. In this guide we explain ikhfa in simple English, list its 15 letters with Quran examples, and share practice tips for kids and adults learning online abroad.

What Is Ikhfa in Tajweed?

The word ikhfa (إخفاء) means “hiding” or “concealing”. In tajweed, ikhfa happens when a noon sakinah (نْ, a noon with sukoon) or tanween (ـً ـٍ ـٌ) is followed by one of 15 specific letters. Instead of pronouncing the noon clearly, the reader “hides” it: the sound is held between a clear noon (izhar) and a full merge (idgham), carried through the nose with a ghunnah (nasal sound).

Ikhfa is one of the four rules of noon sakinah and tanween, together with izhar (clear pronunciation), idgham (merging) and iqlab (changing to a meem sound). If you are new to these rules, our overview Tajweed for Beginners: 5 Basic Rules Every Quran Reader Should Know is a helpful starting point. In this article we focus on ikhfa in tajweed only, so you can master one rule at a time.

The 15 Letters of Ikhfa

The ikhfa letters are all the Arabic letters that are not part of the other three rules:

ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك

Scholars of tajweed collected them in a famous line of poetry, where the first letter of each word is an ikhfa letter:

صِفْ ذَا ثَنَا كَمْ جَادَ شَخْصٌ قَدْ سَمَا … دُمْ طَيِّبًا زِدْ فِي تُقًى ضَعْ ظَالِمَا

When learning ikhfa in tajweed, many students find it easier to remember the other rules instead: izhar has 6 throat letters, idgham has the letters of يرملون, and iqlab has only ب. Everything else is ikhfa.

How to Pronounce Ikhfa Correctly

Here is a simple way to apply ikhfa in tajweed when you recite:

1. Do not press the tongue fully on the place of the noon. The tip of the tongue should not firmly touch the gum behind the upper teeth as it does in a clear noon.
2. Move your mouth towards the next letter. While holding the ghunnah, prepare your tongue and lips for the letter that comes after the noon.
3. Hold the ghunnah for about two counts. The sound comes from the nose. A count is roughly the time it takes to fold or open one finger at a normal reading pace.
4. Then pronounce the next letter clearly without adding an extra noon sound or a pause.

A helpful check for learners: if you pinch your nose gently during ikhfa, the sound should be cut. That shows the ghunnah is coming from the nose as it should.

Ikhfa Examples From the Quran

Ikhfa can happen inside one word (only with noon sakinah) or between two words (with noon sakinah or tanween). Here are some examples to practise:

• ت – مِن تَحْتِهَا ، كُنتُمْ
• ث – مِن ثَمَرَةٍ ، مَنثُورًا
• ج – أَنجَيْنَاكُم
• د – عِندَ ، أَندَادًا
• ذ – مُنذِرٌ ، مِن ذَكَرٍ
• ز – فَإِن زَلَلْتُم ، أَنزَلْنَا
• س – الْإِنسَانَ ، مِن سُلَالَةٍ
• ش – مَنشُورًا ، إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ
• ص – مِن صَلْصَالٍ ، رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا
• ض – مَّنضُودٍ ، مِن ضَعْفٍ
• ط – يَنطِقُ ، انطَلِقُوا
• ظ – يَنظُرُونَ ، قَوْمًا ظَالِمِينَ
• ف – يُنفِقُونَ ، مِن فَضْلِهِ
• ق – مِن قَبْلُ ، يَنقَلِبُونَ
• ك – مِن كُلِّ ، يَنكُثُونَ

Notice examples with tanween too, such as رِيحًا صَرْصَرًا and قَوْمًا ظَالِمِينَ. The rule is the same: the hidden noon sound of the tanween is carried with ghunnah into the next letter.

Heavy and Light Ghunnah in Ikhfa

The ghunnah of ikhfa follows the letter after it:

• Heavy (tafkheem) before the heavy letters ص ض ط ظ ق. The mouth is fuller and the sound is deeper, as in يَنطِقُ and مِن قَبْلُ.
• Light (tarqeeq) before the other ten letters, as in كُنتُمْ and مِن ذَكَرٍ.

Some teachers also explain that the hiding is stronger with letters whose place is closest to the noon (ت د ط) and lighter with letters far from it (ق ك). For beginners, the most important points are the two-count ghunnah, not pressing the tongue, and matching heavy or light with the next letter.

Common Mistakes With Ikhfa

• Reading a clear noon. Saying “min-tahtiha” with a sharp noon turns ikhfa into izhar.
• Turning the noon into a meem. This often happens before ف, for example reading “yumfiqoon” instead of yunfiqoon.
• Adding a vowel after the noon. Some learners say “mina qabl”. The noon has a sukoon and must not get a vowel.
• Cutting the ghunnah short or stretching it far longer than two counts.
• Making every ghunnah heavy (or every ghunnah light) instead of following the next letter.

Please note that ikhfa of noon is different from ikhfa shafawi, which is a meem sakinah followed by ب. That is a separate rule with its own explanation.

Practice Tips for Kids and Adults Abroad

• Practise one letter a day. Take one ikhfa letter and find two or three examples in your daily reading.
• Listen first, then repeat. Listen to a trusted reciter slowly, pause after each ikhfa, and imitate the sound.
• Use short surahs. Juz Amma has many examples of ikhfa, for example in Surah An-Naba and Surah Al-Ala. This connects well with hifz.
• Make it a game for kids. Ask your child to “spot the hidden noon” on a page and colour it with a pencil.
• Get live correction. Ikhfa in tajweed is a sound, and the fastest way to fix it is a qualified teacher who listens to you and corrects you in real time.

FAQ About Ikhfa in Tajweed

How many letters of ikhfa are there?

There are 15 letters: ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك.

How long is the ghunnah in ikhfa?

The ghunnah is held for about two counts.

Does ikhfa apply to tanween?

Yes. Tanween ends with a noon sound, so when an ikhfa letter follows it, the same rule applies, for example قَوْمًا ظَالِمِينَ.

Is ikhfa the same as idgham?

No. In idgham the noon fully merges into the next letter. In ikhfa the noon is only hidden, between a clear noon and a full merge.

Can my child learn ikhfa online?

Yes. Many children learn tajweed rules like ikhfa online, especially with short, regular lessons and a teacher who corrects them live.

Book a Free Trial Class

Would you like you or your child to master ikhfa and the other tajweed rules with a qualified teacher? Telawah Academy offers online Quran, tajweed, hifz and Arabic classes for Muslim families in the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia, with flexible times for your time zone.

Book your free trial class on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/201042642933 (+20 10 42642933). Send us a message and we will help you choose a time that suits your family.