What Is Izhar in Tajweed? The 6 Letters, With Examples

Izhar is usually the very first tajweed rule a student learns — and for good reason. It is the simplest of the four rules of noon sakinah and tanween, and once you understand it, the other three make much more sense.

This guide explains what izhar means, the six letters that trigger it, how to pronounce it, and the mistakes to avoid, with examples from surahs you probably already know.

What does izhar mean?

Izhar (إظهار) means "to make clear" or "to make apparent". In tajweed it means pronouncing a noon sakinah (نْ — a noon with no vowel) or tanween (the double vowel ـًـٍـٌ, which sounds like a hidden noon) clearly, without merging it, hiding it or adding an extra nasal sound.

Because these six letters all come from the throat, this rule is often called izhar halqi — "throat clarity".

The six letters of izhar

Izhar applies when noon sakinah or tanween is followed by one of the six throat letters:

Why clarity? The throat letters are pronounced far from the tip of the tongue, where noon is made. There is no natural way to blend the two sounds, so the noon is simply said clearly and the throat letter follows.

Examples from the Quran

• مِنْ خَوْفٍ — min khawf, noon sakinah before kha (Quraysh 106:4)
• نَارٌ حَامِيَةٌ — naarun haamiyah, tanween before ha (Al-Qari'ah 101:11)
• عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ — 'adhaabun aleem, tanween before hamzah (Al-Baqarah 2:10)

Izhar can also happen inside a single word, as in يَنْهَوْنَ (yanhawna), where the noon sakinah is followed by ha.

How to pronounce izhar correctly

1. Say the noon fully. Touch the tip of your tongue to the gum behind your upper front teeth, as for any normal noon.
1. Do not hold it. There is no extra nasal sound (ghunnah) beyond what a noon naturally has — move straight on.
1. Do not pause. The noon and the throat letter flow together without a break or a little "stop" between them.
1. Give the throat letter its full sound. Many learners say the noon well and then weaken the ح or ع that follows.

Common mistakes

• Adding ghunnah. Holding a nasal "nnn" before a throat letter turns izhar into ikhfa. This is the most frequent error.
• Merging into the next letter. Swallowing the noon so that min khawf sounds like mikhawf.
• Pausing. Stopping briefly after the noon, which breaks the word.
• Weak throat letters. Saying ح like ه, or ع like a hamzah. Our guide to makhraj — the points of articulation helps with these.

Izhar compared with the other three rules

A special case: izhar inside four words

Normally a noon sakinah before ي or و would merge (idgham). But inside these four single words, the noon is read clearly instead, so the meaning is not confused: الدُّنْيَا, بُنْيَانٌ, قِنْوَانٌ and صِنْوَانٌ. This is sometimes called izhar mutlaq — absolute clarity.

How to practise

1. Read Surah Quraysh and underline every noon sakinah and tanween.
1. Mark the ones followed by a throat letter — those are izhar.
1. Record yourself and compare with a slow reciter. Our guide on using recordings shows how.
1. Recite to a teacher, who will catch any ghunnah you cannot hear yourself.

Once izhar feels natural, move on to idgham. You can follow the full sequence in our Tajweed guide, or learn it one-to-one in our online Tajweed course.