Open any page of the Quran and you will see more than letters and vowels: small circles, a little meem, wavy lines, tiny letters and signs between the verses. Each one tells you how to read. Once you know them, the Mushaf itself teaches you tajweed.
This guide explains the most common marks in the widely used Madinah Mushaf (printed by the King Fahd Complex), which follows the recitation of Hafs from ‘Asim. Other prints, such as South Asian Mushafs, use some different signs, so check the guide at the back of your copy.
Marks on letters
Mark | Name | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
ـۡ (small head of kha) | Sukoon | The letter is pronounced with no vowel | قُلۡ |
ـّ | Shaddah | The letter is doubled | رَبِّ |
No mark on a letter | — | The letter is written but merges into the next letter or is hidden | مِن نِّعۡمَةٍ |
ۢ (small meem) | Iqlab sign | Change the noon or tanween into a hidden meem with ghunnah | مِنۢ بَعۡدِ |
ٰ (small upright alif) | Dagger alif | Lengthen 2 counts, as if there were an alif | ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ |
ۥ / ۦ (small waw or ya) | Silah | Lengthen the ha of the pronoun when connecting | إِنَّهُۥ |
ـٓ (wavy line) | Madd sign | Lengthen more than 2 counts | جَآءَ، ٱلۡحَآقَّةُ |
Sukoon vs no mark
This is one of the most useful signs to understand:
- A noon with a sukoon (نۡ) means you pronounce it clearly: izhar.
- A noon with no mark, followed by a letter with shaddah, means full merging: idgham.
- A noon with no mark, followed by a letter without shaddah, means hiding: ikhfa.
The same idea works for meem: a meem with no sukoon before a ب means ikhfa shafawi.
How the tanween is written
- Stacked tanween (the two marks exactly on top of each other) = say the noon sound clearly: izhar.
- Staggered tanween (the second mark shifted) = merge or hide it: idgham or ikhfa.
- A small meem instead of the second mark = iqlab.
Letters you write but don't read
Mark | Name | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
۟ (small round circle) | Round zero | The letter is never pronounced, whether you stop or continue | قَالُواْ — the last alif is silent |
۠ (small oval / rectangle) | Oval zero | The alif is silent when you continue, but pronounced when you stop | أَنَا۠ |
The oval zero appears on a few words, such as أَنَا۠ (ana, "I") and ٱلظُّنُونَا۠ (33:10).
Small letters written above or below
- A small seen above a sad (صۜ) means you read a seen instead, as in يَبۡصُۜطُ (2:245).
- In a few places the Mushaf marks special readings of Hafs, such as imalah (a vowel leaning towards "e") in مَجۡر۪ىٰهَا (11:41). Your teacher will show you these few exceptions.
Stop signs (waqf)
These small signs above the line tell you whether to stop at that point:
Sign | Meaning |
|---|---|
مـ | Necessary stop — stopping here keeps the meaning correct |
لا | Do not stop here (unless at the end of a verse) |
ج | Stopping and continuing are both fine |
صلى | Both are fine, but continuing is better |
قلى | Both are fine, but stopping is better |
∴ ∴ | Paired dots: stop at one of the two, not both |
For a full explanation, read our guide to waqf (stopping) in Quran recitation.
Other signs on the page
- ۩ — a sajdah (prostration) verse. Many scholars recommend prostrating when you recite or hear it.
- ۞ — the start of a quarter of a hizb. The Quran is divided into 30 juz, each juz into 2 hizb, and each hizb into 4 quarters. These help you plan your reading.
- The name of the surah, its number of verses, and whether it is Makkan or Madinan are written in the box at the top of each surah.
How to use this guide
- Pick one page of your Mushaf.
- Find one example of each sign in this guide.
- Read the page slowly, paying attention only to the signs.
- Check with a teacher that you are reading each sign correctly.
These signs make much more sense once you know the rules behind them. Start with the Tajweed guide, learn ghunnah and madd, and if you use a colour-coded Mushaf, see our comparison of colour-coded and plain Mushafs.
FAQ
What does the small circle on a letter in the Quran mean?
A small round circle means the letter is never pronounced. An oval or rectangular zero on an alif means it is silent when you continue but pronounced when you stop.
What does the small meem in the Quran mean?
It is the sign of iqlab. The noon or tanween is changed into a hidden meem sound with ghunnah, before the letter ba.
What does a letter with no mark mean?
It means the letter is written but not read on its own: it merges into the next letter or is hidden, depending on the rule.
Are the symbols the same in every Mushaf?
No. The Madinah Mushaf and South Asian (Indo-Pak) Mushafs use some different signs. Most Mushafs explain their signs on the last pages.
Sources
- Surah Al-Baqarah 2:245 — Quran.com
- Surah Al-Ahzab 33:10 — Quran.com
- Surah Hud 11:41 — Quran.com
- King Fahd Glorious Quran Printing Complex — Official website
- Tajwid — Wikipedia