Step 3 of 8
Sukoon: a Letter Without a Vowel
The sign that says: no vowel here.
Sukoon is a small sign placed above a letter: it says the letter has no vowel. You say the letter, then move on to the next one without adding a sound. The Hafs text of the Quran carries 37,148 of them. A vowelless nūn that hides or merges into the next letter, however, is written without a sukoon.
Reading a letter with no vowel
A letter carrying a sukoon is said on its own, attached to the vowel before it: بْ after “a” gives “ab”. No vowel is added to it.
In the text of the Madani Mushaf, a vowelless nūn that hides (ikhfa) or merges (idgham) into the next letter has no sukoon: of the 5,195 cases counted, none carries one. The missing sign announces the rule.
With no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce. This is qalqalah.
Sukoon, counted
| Sign | Name | Sounds like | In the Quran |
|---|---|---|---|
| بْ | Sukoon | no vowel | 37,148 |
| ن | Nūn that hides or merges, no sukoon | nasal sound or merging | 5,195 |
Sukoon in words from Al-Fatiha
Tap ▶ to hear the word in its verse. The letter carrying the sukoon is highlighted.
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بِسْمِ
bismi
In (the) name
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ٱلْحَمْدُ
al-ḥamdu
All praises and thanks
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ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ
ar-raḥmāni
The Most Gracious
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يَوْمِ
yawmi
(of the) Day
Going further
Frequently asked questions
How is a letter with a sukoon read?
With no vowel: it is said right after the vowel before it, with nothing added.
Why do some nūns have neither a vowel nor a sukoon?
Because they hide or merge into the next letter. The Madani Mushaf gives them no sukoon: 5,195 cases in the Quran, none with a sukoon.
What is qalqalah?
With no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce.
How can I check my reading when I learn without a teacher?
Read out loud in the Tilawa app: it follows your reading word by word and shows you the words to work on. The transliteration under each word helps you until you can read Arabic.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error