Noorani Qaida Lesson 4- Tanween

The Noorani Qaida is an elementary tutorial book for learning Arabic. In Noorani Qaida Lesson 4, we will take you to the concept of Tanween in Arabic. Tanween in short is the doubling of any Arabic harakat (short vowel) at the end of the noun to indicate an indefinite accusative case or indefinite nominative case. The importance of Arabic tanween lies in its ability to convey a clear grammatical meaning in sentences.

Meaning of Tanween

Let’s look at the meaning of Tanween. The word “Tanween”تَنْوِينٌ is derived from the Arabic verb Yunawwina  يُنَوِّن which means ‘to add Noon ن sound’ at the end of the word. This process is also known as nunation. The letter  Noon ن is not written but only pronounced.

Tanween is always read as Ghunna, which means to hide the sound into the nose (nasal cavity)

Arabic Tanween Symbols

Nunation or Arabic tanween is represented by doubling the Arabic Harakat- Fatha, Kasra, and Dammah. For example,  ـٌ ,ـٍ ,ـً.

Types of Tanween In the Arabic Language

For every short vowel (harakat), there is a corresponding Tanween added to the end of words. There are three types of tanween.

Tanween with Fatha (ـً)

Tanween with Fatha is indicated by a double fatha (ـً) diacritic symbol placed on the last letter of the word. It is also known as Fathatain.  E.g. لاً ,تاً ,داً

Tanween with Kasra (ـٍ)

Tanween with kasra is denoted by a double kasra (ـٍ) placed below the last letter of the word. It is also termed as Kasratain. Such as  مٍ ,طٍ ,بٍ 

Tanween with Damma (ـٌ)

Tanween with damma is represented by a double damma(ـٌ) diacritic placed above the last letter of the word. It is also called Dammatain. i.e. رٌ ,صٌ ,فٌ 

Tanween with Fatha (ـً)

Tanween with Fatha is indicated by a double fatha (ـً) diacritic symbol placed on the last letter of the word. It is also known as Fathatain.  E.g. لاً ,تاً ,داً

Tanween with Kasra (ـٍ)

Tanween with kasra is denoted by a double kasra (ـٍ) placed below the last letter of the word. It is also termed as Kasratain. Such as  مٍ ,طٍ ,بٍ 

Tanween with Damma (ـٌ)

Tanween with damma is represented by a double damma(ـٌ) diacritic placed above the last letter of the word. It is also called Dammatain. i.e. رٌ ,صٌ ,فٌ 

You can download the Noorani Qaida PDF for easy access and offline study.

Rules of Using The Tanween In Arabic

There are certain rules for using the Tanween in Arabic. These rules should strictly be adhered to while reciting the Holy Quran. In Noorani Qaida lesson 4, we will deeply study and understand these basic rules. The rules are as follows. 

 First Rule 

Tanween is only added to the last letter of the word above or below. It is never added at the beginning or middle of the word. For example, كِتَابًا ,قَلَمٍ ,بَيْتٌ

Second Rule

Tanween is formed by doubling the three short Arabic vowels that are fatha (ـَ), kasra (ـِ), and damma (ـُ). For example, بٌ ,بٍ , باً 

Third Rule

In the case of Tanween Al-fath, Alif is added after Tanween. For example, مَرْحَبًا, كِتَابًا

However, Alif is not added at the end of the word if the word ends with Hamza (ء) or Ta-marbutah (ة). For example, مَاءً ,فَتْحَةً ,كَسْرَةً

Fourth Rule

If there is a double fatha or tanween on the last letter and you have to stop at the Waqf, then Tanween will be neglected and read as one fatha. For example, كِتَابًا will be read as  كِتَابَا

Fifth Rule

When a word ends with double kasra and you have to stop at the waqf, tanween will be omitted and the letter will be read with a Sakin. For example, قَلَمٍ will be read as  ْقَلم 

This same rule is applied when there is a double Dammah. For example, بَيْتٌ will be read as  ْبَيْت 

Sixth Rule

When a word ends with tanween on the Ta-Marbuta (ةً), the sound of Taa (ة) will be omitted and converted into Haa (ه). for example,  كَسْرَةً will be read as  كَسْرَه .

The Importance of Tanween 

Tanween plays a crucial role in the recitation of the Quran, especially in the case of Qirat. It affects the pronunciation and length of the vowel sound of the letter it is placed on. Tanween helps to differentiate between the different cases and correct grammatical functions of nouns in a sentence. Without placing tanween, it would be difficult to identify if a noun is the subject, object, or predicate of a sentence.

Conclusion 

Noorani Qaida Lesson 4 comprehensively covers the concept of Arabic tanween, its types, the rules of tanween, and their usage. It is important to keep it in mind while reciting the Holy Quran. Neglecting Tanween may cause a change in the meaning of the word.