Heavy & Light Letters
Tafkheem, tarqeeq, and the conditional letters
Arabic letters differ in weight. Some letters are always heavy (tafkheem), some always light (tarqeeq), and some are conditional, meaning their weight changes based on context. Correct letter weight is essential for accurate pronunciation and natural recitation.
Heavy Letters (Tafkheem)
Always heavy, regardless of the vowel. Pronounced with the back of the tongue raised and a full, deep sound. Never thinned, even with kasrah.
The 7 always-heavy letters
خ ص ض غ ط ق ظ
قَالَ
qāla
صِرَاط
ṣirāṭ
طَبَعَ
ṭabaʿa
غَفُور
ghafūr
خَالِد
khālid
Light Letters (Tarqeeq)
Always light, never pronounced heavy. Relaxed tongue, no back-tongue elevation, clear and sharp articulation.
Always-light letters
ب ت ث ج ح د ذ ز س ش ف ك ل م ن هـ و ي
Lām (ل) and waw (و) are light by default, but lām becomes conditional in one specific case: the word “Allah”.
بِسْم
bism
نَعِيم
naʿīm
سَبِيل
sabīl
يَوْم
yawm
فِيهِ
fīhi
Conditional Letters
These letters change weight depending on vowels or surrounding letters.
A. Rāʾ (ر)
ر
Weight depends on the vowel on the rāʾ itself (not the surrounding letters).
Heavy rāʾ: fatḥah or ḍammah
- رَبِّrabbi
- رُزِقُواruziqū
- قَرَأَqaraʾa
Light rāʾ: kasrah
- فِرْعَوْنfirʿawn
- رِجَالrijāl
- شِرْعَةshirʿah
B. Lām (ل)
ل
Always light, except in the word Allah (ٱللَّه).
Heavy lām: after fatḥah/ḍammah
- ٱللَّهُAllāhu
- قَالَ ٱللَّهُqāla Allāhu
- نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِnaṣru Allāhi
Light lām: after kasrah
- بِٱللَّهِbillāhi
- لِلَّهِlillāhi
C. Alif (ا)
ا
Alif itself has no sound. It inherits the weight of the letter before it. After a heavy letter, the alif sounds heavy. After a light letter, it sounds light.
| Arabic | Phonetic | Why |
|---|---|---|
| قَالَ | qāla | Heavy letter (ق) |
| صَادِق | ṣādiq | Heavy letter (ص) |
| كَانَ | kāna | Light letter (ك) |
| نَاس | nās | Light letter (ن) |
Common mistake
Making alif heavy on its own, or thinning a heavy letter just because it carries kasrah.
Correct
The 7 heavy letters are always heavy. Alif follows, never leads. For rāʾ, follow its own vowel.