سُكْكَر = سُكَّر sugarتُفْفَاحَة = تُفَّاحَة an appleخَرْرَج = خَرَّج to cause to go outكَلْلَم = كَلَّم to speak toسَيْيِد = سَيِّد lord, mister / Mrنَزْزِل = نَزِّل to bring downتَبَخْخُر = تَبَخُّر evaporationتَفَكْكُر = تَفَكُّر contemplationسَكَتْتُ = سَكَتُّ I kept quiteفَنْنًا = فَنًّا an artسِرْرٌ = سِرٌّ a secretعَدُوْوٌ = عَدُوٌّ an enemy |
(a) In these words, each consonant that has a shadda ( ـّ ) over is comprised of two identical consonants. You can see these consonants in the (decomposed) words before the equal sign.(b) The two consonants are basically assimilated (i.e. blended) into one. For this assimilation to happen, the first consonant must have a sukuun ( ـْ ) over it, while the second consonant must have a short vowel or a tanween, that is ( ـً ), ( ـٍ ) , ( ـٌ ), above it.(c) The shadda ( ـّ ) retains the short vowel, i.e. ( ـَ ), ( ـِ ), ( ـُ), or the tanween, i.e. ( ـً ), ( ـٍ ), ( ـٌ) of the second consonant.(d) The shadda ( ـّ ) must be preceded by a consonant that has a short vowel over it, as you can see in the list.(e) This is a word-level shadda ( ـّ ). That is, it occurs at the level of words. |
لَمْ يَخُرُجْ جَـمَال = لَم يَخْرُج جَّمَال Jamal didn't go outاُكْتُـبْ بِـالقَلَم = اُكْتُب بِّالقَلَم write with the penاِسْمَــعْ عَـلِي = اِسْمَع عَّلِي listen to Aliكُــلْ لَـوْز = كُل لَّوْز eat almondsلَــنْ نَـذْهَب = لَن نَّذْهَب we will not goقُــلْ لَـهُم = قُل لَّهُم tell them |
(a) In these phrases, the last letter of the first word (in orange) is identical to the first letter of the second word (in blue). The first one is saakin (i.e. has a sukuun ( ـْ ) over it), while the second is mutaharik (has a short vowel over it).(b) When spoken, they become one doubled sound. So, the second letter gets a shadda ( ـّ ), while the first letter is not pronounced. It is still written, however.(c) This is a phrase-level shadda ( ـّ ); it occurs a the level of phrases. |
التْتَمر = التَّمْر the dates - fruitالثْثُوم = الثُّوم the garlicالدْدَار = الدَّار the houseالذْذُعْر = الذُّعْر panicالرْرَب = الرَّب the Lord / Godالزْزَهْرَة = الزَّهْرَة the flowerالسْسَاعَة = السَّاعَة the watch / clockالشْسَمْس = الشَّمْس the sunالصْصِدْق = الصِّدْق the truthالضْضَحِك = الضَّحِك the laughterالطْطَبْخ = الطَّبْخ the cookingالظْظُلْم = الظُّلْم the injusticeاللْلَيْل = اللَّيْل the nighttimeالنْنَهَار = النَّهَار the daytime |
(a) The letters ت, ث, د, ذ, ر, ز, س, ش, ص, ض, ط, ظ, ل, and ن are the sun letters (also called solar letters). They are named after the word شَمْس which begin with one of them, that is the ش. The remaining letters of the Arabic alphabet are the moon letters.(b) These letters are grouped together because of a pronunciation phenomenon in Arabic, that is assimilation with the definite article ال. In particular, the assimilation of the ل to these letters.(c) This assimilation happens because these letters (more accurately, consonant sounds) are near to the ل when we produced them in our mouth. That is, there is a slight pause in moving from the ل to these letters when consecutive.(d) The ل, as a result, is assimilated to the following letter forming an identical letter, hence two consecutive identical letters.(e) The first (new formed) letter has a sukuun ( ـْ ) over it, and the second letter has a short vowel over it (fatha ( ـَ ) , kasra ( ـِ ) , Dhamma ( ـُ )). So, they become one, and a shadda ( ـّ ) is added to indicate the doubling.(f) This is a word-level shadda ( ـّ ). |
قَدْ تَنَام = قَد تَّنَام you may sleepقَدْ تُقْتَل = قَد تُّقْتَل you may be killedقَدْ تَكَلَّمَ = قَد تَّكَلَّم he has spokenهَلْ رَأَيْت = هَل رَّأَيْت did you seeهَلْ رَجِعَ = هَل رَّجِعَ did he come backبَلْ رَبِيْع = بَل رَّبِيْع rather it is Rabe'e |
(a) In these two-word phrases, if we examine the last letter of first word and first letter of the second word, we can see that they are phonetically near each other when produced in the mouth.(b) The first one has a sukuun ( ـْ ) over it, and the second has a short vowel. In pronouncing them, they become one. This is indicated by the shadda ( ـّ ) on the second letter.(c) In writing, however, they are still written separately, in two separate words. |
أَنْ يَسْمَعَ = أَن يَّسْمَع to listenأَنْ يَنْظُر = أَن يَّنْظُر to lookمِنْ رُوْسِيا = مِن رُّوسِيا from Russiaعَنْ رَحْمَة = عَن رَّحْمَة about Rahmaمَنْ لَا = مَن لَّا who doesn'tمَنْ لَكِ = مَن لَّكِ who will take care of youمَنْ مَعِي = مَن مَّعِي who is with meعَنْ مَاذَا = عَن مَّاذا about whatمَنْ وَاحِد = مِن وَّاحِد from oneعَنْ وَلَدٍ = عَن وَّلَدٍ about a boy |
(a) In these phrases, the first word is a preposition (i.e. عَنْ and مِنْ) / particle (i.e. أَنْ) that ends in ن which has a sukuun ( ـْ ) over it (this is called the ن saakina). The second words in these phrases begin with ي, ر, ل, م, or و.(b) The ن saakina assimilates to the following letter changing it into a doubled sound. This is indicated by shadda ( ـّ ) on the first letter of the second word (i.e. ي, ر, ل, م, and و). Hence, the ن is written but not pronounced.(c) Note that the particle أَنْ is followed by a (present) verb, while the prepositions مِنْ and عَنْ are followed a noun or a prepositional phrase (e.g. لَكِ and مَعِي). |
رَجُلٌ رَحِيْم = رَجُل رَّحِيْم a merciful manخَيْرٌ وَفِيْرٌ = خَيْرُ وَّفِيْرٌ abundant of goodشَرَابٍ لّذِيْذ = شَراب لَّذِيْذ delicious drinkتَمْرٍ يَابِس = تَمْر يَّابِس dried dates - fruitوَلَدًا وَسِيْمًا = وَلَد وَّسِيْمًا a handsome boyصَوْتٍ مُرْعِب = صَوْت مُّرْعِب a frightening voice |
(a) The first word in these phrases ends in a tanween—that is ( ـً ), ( ـٍ ), and ( ـٌ )—pronounced as an, in, un, respectively. The tanween, therefore, ends in a ن that is saakina.(b) The ن saakina of the tanween assimilates to the first letter of the following words resulting in a doubled consonant. The doubling of the sound is indicated by a shadda and the short vowel of letter to which the ن saakina assimilates. |
عَنْ مَا = عَمَّا about whatمِنْ مَا = مِمَّا from whatأَنْ لا = أَلَّا in order not toمِنْ مَنْ = مِمَّن from whomعَنْ مَنْ = عَمَّن about whomإِنْ لَا = إِلَّا if notإِنْ مَا = إِمَّا if not / or else |
(a) These words are two-word particles. The first particle ends in ن saakina; the second particle begins in م or ل.(b) The ن saakina assimilates to the ل or م resulting in doubled ل or م. This doubling is indicated by the shadda and the short vowel of the ل / م.(c) Since this kind of assimilation takes place at the level of particles (i.e. very short words), the ن of the first particle is completed left out, and the two particles become one, that is عَمَّا, مِمَّا, أَلَّا … etc. |