Qalqalah
قلقلة
The letter that bounces
Lesson 6.1 · Module 6 · Qalqalah
Qalqalah (قلقلة): with no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce. When qāf, ṭā, bā, jīm or dāl (ق ط ب ج د) has no vowel, or when you stop on it at the end of a word. The Quran has 3,834 of them, in 109 surahs (Hafs reading).
What does Qalqalah mean?
Qalqalah (قلقلة): the letter that bounces
A bounce produced on five letters (ق ط ب ج د) when they carry no vowel (sukun). The sound bounces from its point of articulation.
Qalqalah: the 5 letters
How to pronounce Qalqalah
Release the letter with a small, clean bounce, without adding a vowel.
- The gesture
- Form the sakin letter at its normal articulation, then release it lightly once. Keep the sound brief and add no a, i or u.
- Avoid
- Do not turn the release into a full vowel, repeat the letter, or add a breathy sound after it.
- The condition
- The letter must be sakin. Qalqalah is lighter inside a word and clearer when stopping on the final letter.
Where the letters come from
- Back of the tongue, throat side ق
- Tip, at the roots of the teeth طد
- Both lips ب
- Middle of the tongue ج
Each point is shown on the mouth map, and each letter has its own page.
12 examples of Qalqalah in the Quran
Short surahs first. Tap ▶ to hear Qalqalah in its verse, recited by al-Husary.
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بِٱلصَّبْرِ
biṣ-ṣabr
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يَدْخُلُونَ
yadkhulūna
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أَطْعَمَهُم
'aṭʿamahum
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ٱلْفَجْرِ
l-fajr
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ٱلْفَلَقِ
l-falaq
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ٱلْأَبْتَرُ
l-abtar
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أَحَدٌ
'aḥad
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ٱلصَّمَدُ
ṣ-ṣamad
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يَلِدْ
yalid
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ٱلْقَدْرِ
l-qadr
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أَدْرَىٰكَ
'adrāka
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يَجْعَلْ
yajʿal
Qalqalah: common mistakes
What is often heard, and how to fix it. The ▶ plays the right model, recited by al-Husary.
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Blocking the letter without releasing it: it bounces with a small, clear knock.
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Adding a vowel after the letter (“qa”, “bi”): the bounce is brief and the letter keeps its sukūn.
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Bouncing ب ج د as heavily as ق ط: the bounce follows the letter, full for ق and ط, light for ب ج د.
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Making the same bounce mid-word and at a stop: it is clearer when stopping on the letter.
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Letting a breath escape after the letter: these letters hold back the breath; the bounce comes without air.
Qalqalah and neighbouring rules
| Rule | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Qalqalah | When qāf, ṭā, bā, jīm or dāl (ق ط ب ج د) has no vowel, or when you stop on it at the end of a word. | With no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce. |
| Idgham Mutajanisayn | First letter with no vowel: among ت, د and ط; among ث, ذ and ظ; or from ب into م. A ṭā before a tā keeps its heaviness: the merger there is incomplete. | A letter with no vowel, then a letter from the same place in the mouth: the first merges into the second. |
| Idgham Mutaqaribayn | In Hafs, two cases: a lām with no vowel before a rā, and the qāf before the kāf (77:20). The Mushaf shows them: no sukoon on the first letter, a shaddah on the second. Except in 83:14, where a short pause (sakt) prevents the merger. | A letter with no vowel, then a letter from a neighbouring place: the first merges into the second. |
By ear: two words that sound alike
Two words that sound alike: one is read with Qalqalah, the other with Idgham Mutajanisayn. Listen for the difference.
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أَجَبْتُمُ
'ajabtumu
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أَرَدتُّمُ
'arattumu
What I show you when you recite
Your turn: which rule?
By eye
The highlighted letters carry a rule. Which one?
- Al-Ikhlas 112:4
أَحَدٌۢ
'aḥad
- Al-Kafirun 109:4
عَبَدتُّمْ
ʿabattum
- Al-Qadr 97:3
ٱلْقَدْرِ
l-qadri
- Al-Qasas 28:85
قُل رَّبِّىٓ
qurrabbī
By ear
Listen, then choose the rule you hear. The word appears after you answer.
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حَبْلٌ
ḥablum
Al-Masad 111:5 -
وَقَد تَّعْلَمُونَ
waqat taʿlamūna
As-Saf 61:5 -
صَدْرَكَ
ṣadrak
Ash-Sharh 94:1
Qalqalah in numbers
3,834times in the Quran
109surahs
| Surah | Verses | Qalqalah |
|---|---|---|
| 65. At-Talaq | 12 | 24 |
| 60. Al-Mumtahanah | 13 | 20 |
| 90. Al-Balad | 20 | 17 |
| 66. At-Tahrim | 12 | 13 |
| 96. Al-'Alaq | 19 | 13 |
Counted on the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading).
Frequently asked questions
What is Qalqalah in tajweed?
Qalqalah is a brief, clear release heard when qāf, ṭā, bā, jīm or dāl carries sukoon.
Which letters does Qalqalah apply to?
When qāf, ṭā, bā, jīm or dāl (ق ط ب ج د) has no vowel, or when you stop on it at the end of a word. In the Quran, the most frequent is ب (bā): 1,295 times.
How many times does Qalqalah occur in the Quran?
3,834 times, in 109 surahs, according to the text of the Madani Mushaf (Hafs reading). Among the surahs of 20 verses or fewer, At-Talaq has the most: 24 in 12 verses.
Qalqalah or Idgham Mutajanisayn: what is the difference?
Qalqalah: with no vowel, five letters do not stay blocked: they give a clear bounce. Idgham Mutajanisayn: a letter with no vowel, then a letter from the same place in the mouth: the first merges into the second.
Qalqalah: how do I know I apply it correctly?
A rule is learned by ear: recite a surah out loud in the Tilawa app, which follows your recitation word by word and shows you where Qalqalah was missed or done wrong, with the word to replay in its verse.
Tilawa editorial team · Updated 2026-10-24 · Report an error