Qalqalah in Tajweed: The 5 Letters, Levels & Examples

Qalqalah is a light echoing or "bouncing" sound made on five specific letters (ق ط ب ج د) when they carry a sukoon (no vowel). The five letters are gathered in the mnemonic قُطْبُ جَدٍّ (qutb jadd). There are two levels. Minor qalqalah is when the letter has its own (original) sukoon, usually mid-word, as in يَطْمَعُونَ, but also at a word's end when you continue, as in قَدْ أَفْلَحَ. Major qalqalah is at the end of a word where you stop.

The word qalqalah literally means a shaking or disturbance. In recitation it is the slight rebound you hear on these letters when they are not carrying a vowel: a short rebound, never a full added vowel.

The five qalqalah letters

Qalqalah applies to five letters only, memorised through the phrase قُطْبُ جَدٍّ:

• ق (qaf)
• ط (taa)
• ب (baa)
• ج (jeem)
• د (daal)

These letters have qalqalah only when they carry a sukoon: either an original sukoon within a word, or a sukoon that appears because you stop on the letter at the end of a word. When they carry a vowel (fatha, kasra, damma), there is no qalqalah.

The two levels of qalqalah

• Qalqalah Sughra (minor): when a qalqalah letter has its own (original) sukoon, usually in the middle of a word. The bounce is light and quick. Example: the ط in يَطْمَعُونَ, or the ق in يَقْطَعُونَ.
• Qalqalah Kubra (major): when a qalqalah letter falls at the end of a word and you stop on it, so it takes a sukoon because of the pause. The bounce is more pronounced. Example: stopping on the ق in الْفَلَقْ.

Some scholars add a third, strongest level for a doubled (shaddah) qalqalah letter at the end when stopping, such as the ب of وَتَبَّ (111:1). This guide uses the two-level model above.

How to make the qalqalah sound correctly

The most common mistakes are adding a full vowel (turning the bounce into "ba", "da", etc.) or making it too heavy. To do it right:

1. Pronounce the letter from its articulation point with the sukoon.
2. Let it rebound with a clean echo, never a full fatha, kasra or damma (teachers differ on whether the echo leans toward a fatha or follows the preceding vowel).
3. Keep it light for minor qalqalah; give it a touch more emphasis for major qalqalah when stopping.

Qalqalah is a bounce, not a vowel. If you can hear a clear "a", "i" or "u" after the letter, you have added too much.

See and hear qalqalah in the Mushaf

Qalqalah is one of the pronunciation rules highlighted in a colour-coded Mushaf, and the quickest way to learn it is to see it marked and hear it recited. RecitID’s Tajweed Mushaf reader colours the rules as you read, and per-verse audio lets you hear a reciter produce the bounce. For the full colour legend, see the tajweed colour codes guide.