The tanween (تَنْوِين), also written as tanwin or tenwin, in Arabic has to do with the sound ن noon. To be precise, it is an acoustic ن (i.e., it is said but not written). This ن is added to the end of singular nouns and adjectives. Only nouns and adjectives get tanwin, but not all nouns. Certain nouns, all types of pronouns (which are classified as nouns in Arabic), verbs, and particles (e.g., prepositions, words of negation, words of interrogation, and conjunctions) do not get tanween.
Generally, the tanwin (تَنْوِين) is used for the two grammatical purposes: (1) to distinguish nouns from other parts of speech and (2) to indicate that the noun or adjective with which it is used is indefinite نَكِرَةٌ. An indefinite noun or adjective is a word that does not refer to a specific entity (thing, person, animal). If we define the noun or adjective by prefixing the definite article to it (i.e., الْـ), the tanween is removed and replaced by the corresponding short vowel: fatha, dhamma, or kasra. Hence, كِتَابًا, كِتَابٌ, كِتَابٍ become الْكِتَابَ, الْكِتَابُ, الكِتَابِ. See replacing tanwin with short vowels below.
For each short vowel in Arabic, there is a corresponding tanween mark that we add to only to the end of nouns and adjectives. For the dhamma, it is tanween al-dhamma (تَنْوِين الضَّمَّة), and it is marked by double dhammas ــٌ and pronounced as un. As for the fatha, it is tanween al-fatha (تَنْوِين الْفَتْحَة), and it is marked by double fathas ــً and pronounced as an. For the kasra, it is tanween al-kasra (تَنْوِين الْكَسْرَة), and it is marked by double kasras ــٍ and pronounced as in, hence كِتَابٌ kitab-un 'a book', كِتَابًا kitab-an, and كِتَابٍ kitab-in; بَيْتٌ bayt-un 'a house', بَيْتًا bayt-an, and بَيْتٍ bayt-in; شَجَرَةٌ shajarat-un 'a tree', شَجَرَةً shajarat-an, and شَجَرَةٍ shajarat-in and so forth.
الْكَسْرَة | الْفَتْحَة | الضَّمَّة | |||
| بٍ | بِ | بًا | بَ | بٌ | بُ |
| ءٍ | ءِ | ءً / ءًا | ءَ | ءٌ | ءُ |
| لٍ | لِ | ـلًا | لَ | لٌ | لُ |
| ـةٍ | ـةِ | ـةً | ـةَ | ـةٌ | ـةُ |
| ـهٍ | ـهِ | ـهًا | ـهَ | ـهٌ | ـهُ |
| With tanwin al-fatha, alif is added after the tanween (not before), except with ـة (taa marbuta) and certain types of hamzah. When we pause on the word that has tanwin, especially at the end of sentences (or with single words), the acoustic ن, i.e. tanween, is removed, and the last letter of the word will be saakin, i.e. has sukuun (سُكُون) over it. And sukuun means the absence of a short vowel. Hence, كِتَابٌ kitab-un, كِتَابًا kitab-an, and كِتَابٍ kitab-in become كِتَاب kitab and كِتَابَا (for كِتَابًا). | |||||
ٍ | ً | ٌ |
كِتَابٍ | كِتَابًا | كِتَابٌ a book |
شَيْخٍ | شَيْخًا | شَيْخٌ an old man |
شَيْءٍ | شَيْئًا | شَيْءٌ a thing |
تُفَّاحَةٍ | تُفَّاحَةً | تُفَّاحَةٌ an apple |
مَاءٍ | مَاءً | مَاءٌ water |
خَيْرٍ | خَيْرًا | خَيْرٌ a good deed |
بَيْتٍ | بَيْتًا | بَيْتٌ a house |
جُزْءٍ | جُزْءًا | جُزْءٌ a section |
طَبِيبٍ | طَبِيبًا | طَبِيبٌ a physician |
The tanween is always added to the end of the indefinite nouns and adjectives. The position of the noun or adjective in the sentence determines the type of tanwin it gets. That is, if the indefinite noun or adjective is a subject فَاعِل, a topic مُبْتَدَأ, or a predicate خَبَر, it gets tanwin al-dhamma. However, if the indefinite noun or adjective is an object مَفْعُول (among other positions), it gets tanwin al-fatha. And if the indefinite noun or adjective is after a preposition, it gets tanwin al-kasra.
tanween al-dhamma ( ٌ ) | |
(A) tanwin al-dhamma (تَنْوِين الضَّمَّة) at the end of the indefinite noun means that this noun is مَرْفُوع ‘in the nominative case’. (B) In (1) and (4), the indefinite noun and adjective is a predicate (خَبَر) to the topic (الْمُبْتَدَأ) before it. (C) In (3) and (6), the indefinite noun is a topic (مُبْتَدَأ). Note that when the topic is indefinite, it occurs after the predicate. (D) In (2) and (5), the indefinite nouns is a subject (فَاعِل) of the verb (الْفِعْل) which precedes it. | (1) هَذَا مِفْتَاحٌ. This is a key (2) خَرَجَتْ بِنْتٌ مِنَ الْغُرْفَةِ. A girl came out of the room (3) فِي الْمَدِينَةِ مَلْعَبٌ. There is a stadium in the city (4) السَّيَّارَةُ جَدِيدَةٌ. The car is new (5) نَبَحَ كَلْبٌ. A dog barked (6) أَمَامَ الْبَيْتِ دُكَّانٌ. There’s a shop in front of the house |
tanwin al-fatha ( ً ) | |
(A) tanwin al-fatha (تَنْوِين الْفَتْحَة) at the end of the indefinite noun or adjective means that this noun is مَنْصُوب ‘in the accusative case’. (B) Since they represent the receiver of the action, each noun in these examples is an object (مَفْعُول). Note that there are other positions in which the noun is in the accusative case. This will be explained in future lessons. (C) جَدِيدةً and جَدِيْدًا in (3) and (5) are adjectives, and they follow the preceding noun in gender and case, so they are assigned tenwin. | (1) وَجَدْتُ مِفْتَاحًا فِي الشَّارِعِ. I found a key in the street (2) رَأَيْتُ بِنْتًا فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ. I saw a girl in the garden (3) اِشْتَرَى أَبِي سَيَّارَةً جَدِيدَةً. My father bought a new car (4) قَتَلَ الصَّيَّادُ أَسَدًا. The hunter killed a lion (5) فَتَحَ التَّاجِرُ دُكَانًا جَدِيْدًا. The businessman opened a new shop |
tenwin al-kasra ( ٍ ) | |
(A) tanwin al-kasra (تَنْوِين الْكَسْرَة) at the end of the indefinite noun means that this noun is مَجْرُور ‘in the genitive case’. (B) Since it is preceded by a preposition, every noun in these examples is in the genitive case. (C) in (2) and (3), صَغِيرٍ and جَدِيدٍ follow the noun in gender and tanween (i.e. case). | (1) يَأكُلُ الطِّفْلُ بِمِلْعَقَةٍ. The child eats with a spoon (2) أَسْكُنُ فِي بَيْتٍ صَغِيْرٍ. I live in a small house (3) كَتَبْتُ بَقَلَمٍ جَدِيدٍ. I wrote with a new pen (4) يَبْحَتُ الطَّالِبُ عَنْ عَمَلٍ. The student is looking for a job (5) نَامَ الْمُسَافِرُ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ. The traveller slept under a tree |
As stated above, tanween at the end of nouns and adjectives indicates that these words are indefinite. However, if we prefix the definite article (الْـ) to them, the tanwin is removed. So, tanween is a marker for indefiniteness (عَلَامَةُ التَّنْكِيرِ) in Arabic.
اِسْم مَعْرِفَة definite noun | اِسْم نَكِرَة indefinite noun | |
(A) With the definite nouns, short vowels (fatha, Dhamma, or kasra) replace the tanween. (B) The indefinite nouns are made definite by prefixing (adding) the definite article الْـ to them. (C) Note that in (4), when the indefinite topic (مُبْتَدَأ) is made definite, it must be moved to the beginning of the sentence | رَأَيْتُ الْبِنْتَ فِي الْحَدِيْقَةِ. هَذَا الْمِفْتَاحُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ. نَامَ الْمُسَافِرُ تَحْتَ الشَّجَرَةِ. الدُّكَّانُ أَمَامَ اليْتِ. يَأْكُلُ الطِّفْلُ بِالْمِلْعَقةِ. وَجَدْتُ الْمِفْتَاحَ فِي الشَّارِعِ. | (1) رَأَيْتُ بِنْتًا فِي الْحَدِيْقَةِ (2) هَذَا مِفْتَاحٌ. (3) نَامَ الْمُسَافِرُ تَحْتَ شَجِرَةٍ. (4) أَمَامَ الْبَيْتِ دُكَّانٌ. (5) يَأْكُلُ الطِّفْلُ بِمِلْعَقَةٍ. (6) وَجَدْتُ مِفْتَاحًا فِي الشَّارِعِ. |
shadda (شَدَّة) means two consecutive consonants. One of the consonants is saakin (سَاكِن) (i.e., has a sukuun over it), and the other is mutaharrik (مُتَحَرِّك) (i.e., it has a short vowel over it). They are blended together and written as one consonant with the shadda and the short vowel of second consonant. At the end of words (namely, indefinite nouns and adjectives), this short vowel is replaced with the corresponding tanween mark (as determined by the grammar), as in the following tables:
فَ + نْ + نٌ | فَنٌّ | an art |
جَ + دْ + دٌ | جَدٌّ | a grandfather |
حَ + رْ + رٌ | حَرٌّ | heat |
حَ + ظْ + ظٌ | حَظٌّ | luck |
فَ + كْ + كٌ | فَكٌّ | jaw, dismantling |
جِ + نْ + نٌ | جِنٌّ | demons |
شُ + حْ + حٌ | شُحٌّ | stinginess |
رَ + بْ + بٌ | رَبٌّ | a lord |
غَ + شْ + شٌ | غَشٌّ | cheating |
فَ + ظْ + ظٌ | فَظٌّ | rude |
فَ + خْ + خً + ا | فَخًّا | a trap |
عِ + زْ + زً + ا | عِزًّا | glory |
رَ + شْ + شً + ا | رَشًّا | spraying |
قِ + طْ + طً + ا | قِطًّا | a cat |
شَ + طْ + طً + ا | شَطًّا | a shore |
حَ + قْ + قً + ا | حَقًّا | a right |
بُ + نْ + نً + ا | بُنًّا | coffee |
صَ + فْ + فً + ا | صَفًّا | a line / queue |
عَ + مْ + مً + ا | عَمًّا | an uncle |
رَ + جْ + جً + ا | رَجًّا | shaking |
خَ + سْ + سٍ | خَسٍّ | lettuce |
لِ + صْ + صٍ | لِصٍّ | a thief |
خَ + طْ + طٍ | خَطٍّ | handwriting |
رَ + فْ + فٍ | رَفٍّ | a shelf |
صَ + كْ + كٍ | صَكٍّ | a check |
فَ + مْ + مٍ | فَمٍّ | a mouth |
كُ + لْ + لٍ | كُلٍّ | all |
عُ + شْ + شٍ | عُشٍّ | a nest |
مَ + طْ + طٍ | مَطٍّ | stretching |
شَ + قْ + قٍ | شَقٍّ | a crack |
