Tajweed Basics
What does the word Tajweed mean?
To perfect, beautify, or improve.
What does Makharij mean?
The places where the sounds of Arabic letters originate.
Which letter is heavy: س or ص?
Heavy: ص
Light: س
What are the 3 letters of madd?
ا و ي
What does qalqalah mean?
An echoing or bouncing sound.
Why do we learn Tajweed when reading the Qur’an?
To pronounce letters correctly, recite properly, and avoid changing meanings through incorrect pronunciation.
Name the five main regions of makharij.
Mouth
Throat
Tongue
Lips
Nasal Cavity
What is the difference between ع and غ?
Both are throat letters, but ع originates from the middle of the throat and غ from the part closest to the mouth.
What are the ghunnah letters and when are they pronounced with ghunnah?
Noon or Meem when they have a shaddah
Name all five qalqalah letters.
ق ط ب ج د
What is the difference between a major error and a minor error?
A major error is a clear mistake in pronunciation, such as changing a letter or vowel. A minor error involves mistakes in applying Tajweed rules.
Where do the letters ح and ع originate?
Middle of the throat
What is the difference between ح and ه?
Both are throat letters, but ح originates from the middle of the throat and ه from the deepest part.
What is ghunnah, and where does its sound originate?
Ghunnah is a nasal sound that originates from the nasal cavity.
When do we apply qalqalah to these letters?
When one of the qalqalah letters has sukoon.
Name two examples of major errors.
Examples include replacing one letter with another, adding or deleting a letter, or changing a vowel or sukoon.
Where do ق and ك originate, and how are their articulation points different?
Both originate at the back of the tongue near the soft palate. ق is articulated farther back, while ك is slightly farther forward.
Where do the letters ش ج ي originate from?
The middle of the tongue when touching the hard palate
A waw has sukoon, but the letter before it has kasrah. Is it a letter of madd under the rule taught? Why or why not?
No. The preceding letter must have dammah.
Your classmate stretches a qalqalah letter as if it were a madd letter. What should you tell them?
Qalqalah is a bouncing sound, while madd is stretching a vowel sound. They are different rules.
A student changes ح to ه while reciting. What type of error is this, and why?
A major error, because one Arabic letter has been replaced by another.
Name the three pairs of throat letters in order from deepest in the throat to nearest the mouth.
ء ه
ع ح
غ خ
Which letter can be a madd letter, but is not read as madd when it has a harakah instead of a sukoon?
The letter Yaa (ي) can be read as a regular letter instead of a madd letter when it does not have a sukoon with a kasrah on the letter before it.
What harakat must come before alif, waw, and yaa when they are letters of madd?
Fathah before alif
dammah before waw with sukoon
kasrah before yaa with sukoon
A student says qalqalah and ghunnah are the same thing. Explain why they are different.
Qalqalah is an echoing sound on ق ط ب ج د with sukoon; ghunnah is a nasal sound associated with ن and م.