Idgham is the second noon sakinah and tanween rule, after izhar. The word means 'to merge'. Here a noon melts into the letter that starts the next word. This guide gives the six letters that start idgham. It shows which ones keep a hum and links a Quran example for each. Every example opens on Quran.com.
English letters cannot show every Arabic sound, so ask a qualified teacher to check each word. We follow the Hafs reading, as our other Tajweed guides do. To see all four noon rules together, read noon sakinah and tanween rules.
What Is Idgham in Tajweed?
Idgham means 'to merge'. The rule applies when a word ends in a noon sakinah or tanween. If the next word starts with ya, raa, meem, laam, waw or noon, the noon merges into that letter. Ya, noon, meem and waw keep a hum through the nose. Laam and raa have no hum.
Quick reminder: a noon sakinah is a noon that carries a sukoon, so it has no vowel. Tanween is the double vowel mark at the end of a word. It sounds like a noon: -an, -in or -un. The letter that follows decides which of the four rules you use.
Idgham needs a next word to merge into. If you stop on a word that ends in a noon sakinah or tanween, nothing follows it. The rule is skipped there.
The Six Idgham Letters and Their Quran Examples
The six letters are ya, raa, meem, laam, waw and noon. A classic Tajweed poem packs them into one word, yarmaloon. Four of them keep a hum: ya, noon, meem and waw. They spell 'yanmu'. Laam and raa have no hum. Each row gives one example. Open any ayah on Quran.com with its link:
| Idgham letter | Hum (ghunnah) | Example word | Ayah |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ya (ي) | Yes | yawma'idhin yasduru: tanween, then ya | Quran 99:6 |
| Noon (ن) | Yes | min nutfatin: noon sakinah, then noon | Quran 80:19 |
| Meem (م) | Yes | min maa'in: noon sakinah, then meem | Quran 86:6 |
| Waw (و) | Yes | min waraa'ihim: noon sakinah, then waw | Quran 85:20 |
| Laam (ل) | No | fawaylun lil-musalleen: tanween, then laam | Quran 107:4 |
| Raa (ر) | No | 'eeshatin raadiyah: tanween, then raa | Quran 101:7 |
In every row, one word ends with a noon sakinah or tanween. The next word starts with the idgham letter.
How Do You Read Idgham?
Do not stop on the noon. Let it melt into the next letter, so the two sounds join. In 'min maa'in', the noon of 'min' merges into the meem, and you say 'mim-maa'in' with a doubled meem.
With ya, noon, meem and waw, keep a hum (ghunnah) in your nose for about 2 counts. In 'yawma'idhin yasduru', the -in sound merges into the ya, and the hum stays.
With laam and raa, there is no hum in the Hafs reading. The noon is gone, and you say one strong, doubled laam or raa. In 'eeshatin raadiyah', the -in sound merges into the raa.
Slips to Watch For in Idgham
Check yourself for these four slips:
- Keeping a clear noon. If you still say a clean 'n' before the next word, the noon has not merged.
- Humming on laam and raa. In the Hafs reading, idgham before these two letters has no hum.
- Cutting the hum short on ya, noon, meem or waw. Tap two counts on your fingers as you hum.
- Merging inside one word. Reading dunya as 'duyya' is a slip. The next section shows why.
Idgham Needs Two Words: Dunya and Three More Words
Idgham only works across two words. One word ends in a noon sakinah or tanween, and the word after it starts with an idgham letter. Tanween always sits at the end of a word, so it always meets the next letter across two words.
Four words in the Quran have a noon sakinah right before a ya or waw in the same word. Here you do not merge. You say the noon clearly, which is izhar. Here are the four words:
- Quran 87:16 has dunya (this world)
- Quran 61:4 has bunyaan (a building)
- Quran 6:99 has qinwaan (bunches of dates)
- Quran 13:4 has sinwaan (palm trees from one root)
Say the noon clearly in these four words, then the ya or waw. Our guide to izhar rules in Tajweed shows them in a table.
The Hafs reading also has three special places where the noon is not merged: Ya-Seen (36:1-2), Noon (68:1) and man raaq (75:27). Our guide to noon sakinah and tanween rules explains each one.
How Idgham Differs From the Other Three Rules
Compare the four rules by the letter that follows the noon. A throat letter means izhar, so the noon stays clear. Baa means iqlab, so the noon becomes a hidden meem. Ya, raa, meem, laam, waw or noon means idgham, so the noon merges. Any of the other 15 letters means ikhfa, so the noon is hidden.
All four sit side by side in our guide to noon sakinah and tanween rules. The rule before this one is izhar rules in Tajweed. The next rule is iqlab rules in Tajweed, and the last is ikhfa rules in Tajweed.
A meem sakinah before another meem has its own idgham, called idgham shafawi. Our guide to meem sakinah rules covers it.
Practise Idgham With Your Teacher
Here is a five-day plan. Spend a few minutes on one step each day:
- Day 1: Say the six letters aloud: ya, raa, meem, laam, waw, noon. Then say the four hum letters: ya, noon, meem, waw.
- Day 2: Read the six table examples one by one, very slowly. Hum on ya, noon, meem and waw, and keep laam and raa free of any hum.
- Day 3: Read Surah Az-Zalzalah (99) slowly. Find the idgham in ayahs 6, 7 and 8.
- Day 4: Record a short reading on your phone. Does a clean 'n' sneak in where the noon should merge? If so, read it again.
- Day 5: Read the same ayahs to a teacher and ask what to fix.
A qualified teacher can spot a hum on laam or raa, a short hum, or a merged noon in dunya. Our free Tajweed rules chart puts the four noon rules on one page. Keep it beside your Quran.
Get Your Idgham Checked
Our online Tajweed classes are live and 1-on-1, and each lesson lasts 30 minutes. Your tutor follows your reading, stops you where a noon should merge and helps you fix the hum. Male and female tutors are both available.
Want to know if your noons really merge? Book a free 30-minute trial class and read a short surah to your tutor. The tutor will tell you which sound to work on first. No card is needed.