Ikhfa is the fourth and last of the noon sakinah and tanween rules. The word means 'to hide'. It covers the biggest group of letters: 15 in all. This guide lists them, shows how to hide the noon with a hum and gives five Quran examples. Each example opens on Quran.com.
Please check every word with a qualified teacher, since English spelling is only a guide to Arabic sounds. This guide uses the Hafs reading, like our other Tajweed pages. All four noon rules sit side by side in noon sakinah and tanween rules.
What Is Ikhfa in Tajweed?
Ikhfa means 'to hide'. The rule applies when a noon sakinah or tanween meets one of the 15 remaining letters. You hide the noon. It is not clear, and it is not merged. Hum through the nose for about 2 counts, then say the next letter.
Two things bring in the noon sound. A noon sakinah is a noon with a sukoon, so it has no vowel. Tanween is the double vowel mark at the end of a word, and it sounds like -an, -in or -un. The next letter chooses the rule.
Ikhfa works when you read on. When you stop on a word that ends in a noon sakinah or tanween, there is no next letter. The rule is skipped there. Ikhfa can happen inside one word or across two words.
The 15 Ikhfa Letters
Ikhfa has the longest list of the four rules. The 15 letters are:
- taa (ت), thaa (ث), jeem (ج)
- daal (د), dhaal (ذ), zay (ز)
- seen (س), sheen (ش), saad (ص)
- daad (ض), Taa (ط), Dhaa (ظ)
- faa (ف), qaaf (ق), kaaf (ك)
You do not have to learn the list by heart first. Look at the letter after the noon and ask three questions. Is it a throat letter? Is it ya, raa, meem, laam, waw or noon? Is it baa? If the answer is no each time, the rule is ikhfa. A classic Tajweed poem also packs the 15 letters into the first letters of the words in one line.
Five of the 15 are heavy letters: saad, daad, Taa, Dhaa and qaaf. Say them full and deep. Our guide to heavy and light letters in Tajweed explains how.
Five Quran Examples of Ikhfa
Each row names the ikhfa letter and gives one example. Open any ayah on Quran.com with its link:
| Ikhfa letter | Example word | Ayah |
|---|---|---|
| Sheen (ش) | min sharri: noon sakinah, then sheen | Quran 113:2 |
| Saad (ص), a heavy letter | 'an salaatihim: noon sakinah, then saad | Quran 107:5 |
| Seen (س) | al-insaana: noon sakinah, then seen | Quran 95:4 |
| Taa (ت) | yawma'idhin tuhaddithu: tanween, then taa | Quran 99:4 |
| Kaaf (ك) | min kulli amr: noon sakinah, then kaaf | Quran 97:4 |
In 'al-insaana', the noon sakinah and the seen sit in one word. In every other row, a word ends in a noon sakinah or tanween. The next word starts with the ikhfa letter.
How Do You Read Ikhfa?
Ikhfa sits between two other rules. Izhar keeps the noon clear, and idgham merges it. Ikhfa hides it. You do not say a full 'n', and you do not merge it. The hum does the work. Follow these four steps:
- Step 1: Look at the letter after the noon sakinah or tanween. Check that it is one of the 15.
- Step 2: Start moving your mouth toward the next letter while you hum.
- Step 3: Hide the noon. Keep the tongue soft, and do not press it hard where a clear 'n' is made.
- Step 4: Hold the ghunnah in your nose for about 2 counts. Then say the next letter.
The hum changes a little with the next letter. Heavy letters like qaaf and saad make it deeper. Light letters like taa and seen make it lighter. Your teacher will show you the difference.
Slips to Watch For in Ikhfa
Watch for these four slips when you practise:
- Saying a full 'n'. If the tongue presses hard, the noon turns clear. That is izhar, not ikhfa.
- Leaving out the hum. Ikhfa is read with ghunnah, so the sound must come through the nose.
- Ending the hum too soon. Count two beats slowly with a finger before you move on.
- Merging the noon. Ikhfa hides the noon but does not merge it, so the next letter is not doubled.
Ikhfa Compared With the Other Three Rules
Ask what happens to the noon. In izhar it stays clear. In idgham it merges. In iqlab it changes to a meem. In ikhfa it is hidden under a hum.
Do not mix ikhfa up with ikhfa shafawi, the lip rule for a meem sakinah before baa. It has its own guide: meem sakinah rules. For a view of all four noon rules at once, use noon sakinah and tanween rules.
Practise Ikhfa With Your Teacher
Try this five-day routine. A few minutes a day is enough:
- Day 1: Say the 15 letters aloud, from taa to kaaf, in the order of the list above.
- Day 2: Read the five table examples slowly, one by one. Hide the noon and hum each time.
- Day 3: Read Surah Al-Falaq (113) slowly. Find the ikhfa in ayahs 2, 3, 4 and 5.
- Day 4: Record a short reading on your phone. Is there a full 'n', or is the hum missing? Fix it and record again.
- Day 5: Read the same ayahs to a teacher and ask what to fix.
A qualified teacher can tell whether your noon is too clear, merged or missing its hum. For a quick look-up, use our free Tajweed rules chart, which lists all four noon rules on one page.
Get Your Ikhfa Checked
At Salam Campus, online Tajweed classes run live and 1-on-1 for 30 minutes at a time. Your tutor checks each hidden noon and each hum as you read, then helps you fix them. You can ask for a male or a female tutor.
Is your noon too clear or too soft? Book a free 30-minute trial class to find out. You read a short surah, and the tutor points out what to fix first. No card is needed.