Qalqalah is a small bounce, or echo, on five Arabic letters. You hear it when one of these letters has no vowel. This guide shows the five letters, when the bounce happens and how to read it. Each letter has a Quran example that you can open on Quran.com.
The examples use English letters, and English letters cannot show every Arabic sound. Check each word with a teacher or a good reciter. The rules follow the Hafs reading, like our other Tajweed guides.
What Are the Qalqalah Letters?
The qalqalah letters are qaaf, Taa, baa, jeem and daal. A handy memory phrase for them is 'qutbu jad'. When one of these letters has no vowel, you give it a small bounce, like a light echo. The bounce is clearer when you stop on the letter.
The Taa in this list is the heavy 't'. The light 't' does not bounce. The word qalqalah means shaking, so think of a tiny shake of the letter.
Qalqalah is Rule 4 in our guide to Tajweed rules for beginners. To see where it sits among all the rules, read the order to learn the Tajweed rules.
The Five Letters, With a Quran Example for Each
Each row below has one example word. Open the link to see the ayah on Quran.com. In every example, the letter has no vowel when you say it:
| Letter | Example word | Where the letter has no vowel | Ayah |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qaaf | iqra' | Inside the word: iq-ra'. | Quran 96:1 |
| Taa (the heavy 't') | layaTghaa | Inside the word: la-yaT-ghaa. | Quran 96:6 |
| Baa | al-abtar | Inside the word: al-ab-tar. | Quran 108:3 |
| Jeem | yaj'al | Inside the word: yaj-'al. | Quran 105:2 |
| Daal | ahad | At the end, when you stop on the word. | Quran 112:1 |
The first four letters sit inside a word. The daal in 'ahad' has no vowel because you stop on the word.
When Does the Bounce Happen?
The bounce happens when a qalqalah letter has no vowel. This can happen in two ways:
- With a sukoon. The letter has a sukoon, the mark that means no vowel. It can be inside a word, as in iqra', or at the end of a word when you read on.
- At a stop. When you stop on a word, its last short vowel usually goes quiet. If the last letter is a qalqalah letter, it now has no vowel. The word ahad is one example. A double fatha at the end is different: it turns into a long 'aa', so there is no bounce. See Waqf signs in the Quran.
At a stop, the bounce is clearer. Inside a word, or when you read on, it is lighter. If a qalqalah letter has a vowel, you simply read the vowel.
How Do You Read the Bounce?
Say the letter from its place in the mouth. Then let a small echo follow, as if the sound shakes for a moment. Keep the bounce small.
A common slip is to add a vowel after the bounce, so that 'ahad' sounds like 'ahada'. Our guide to common Tajweed mistakes shows how to fix it.
Qalqalah and the Heavy Letters
Two of the five letters are also heavy letters. Qaaf and Taa are always said full and deep. Baa, jeem and daal are light. So keep qaaf and Taa heavy when they bounce. Our guide to heavy and light letters in Tajweed explains the difference.
Practise Qalqalah With Your Teacher
Use these steps for a week. They take a few minutes a day:
- Step 1: Say the five letters aloud with the phrase 'qutbu jad'.
- Step 2: Read the five examples in the table, one word at a time, very slowly.
- Step 3: Read Surah Al-Ikhlas. Every ayah ends on a daal. Stop at the end of each ayah and give the daal a small bounce.
- Step 4: Record yourself on your phone. Listen for a vowel after the bounce, and fix it.
- Step 5: Read the same surah to a teacher.
Ask a qualified teacher to hear you read. A teacher can hear if the bounce is too big, too small or missing. To keep the five letters in view, print our free Tajweed rules chart and put it next to your Quran.
Get Your Qalqalah Checked
Our online Tajweed classes at Salam Campus are live and 1-on-1. Each lesson is 30 minutes. Your tutor hears each bounce and corrects it right away. You can ask for a male or a female tutor.
Not sure if your bounce is right? Book a free 30-minute trial class. Read a short surah for the tutor and hear which sound to fix first. No card is needed.