What is ikhfa'?
Ikhfāʾ means "hiding". The nun sakinah or tanwin is neither pronounced clearly (izhar) nor merged completely (idgham). Instead, the tip of the tongue does not press firmly on the nun's place; the sound moves into the nose, and the tongue already prepares for the next letter. This state is held as a ghunnah of two counts.
It is called ikhfāʾ ḥaqīqī ("real ikhfa'") to distinguish it from the ikhfa' of mim (lesson 9).
The fifteen letters of ikhfa'
All letters that are not used for izhar (6), idgham (6) or iqlab (1):
- ت ث ج د ذ ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ف ق ك
A classic memory poem uses the first letters of the words: صِفْ ذَا ثَنَا كَمْ جَادَ شَخْصٌ قَدْ سَمَا ...
Ikhfa' happens inside a word (الْإِنسَانَ، أَنتُمْ، يَنصُرُكُمْ) and across words (مِن شَرِّ، مِن جُوعٍ، عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ).
Heavy or light ghunnah?
The ghunnah takes on the colour of the next letter:
- before a heavy letter (ص ض ط ظ ق) it sounds full and deep: يَنصُرُكُمْ، مِن قَبْلِ.
- before a light letter it sounds light: كُنتُمْ، مِن شَرِّ.
How it sounds
- Move the tongue towards the next letter, but do not let it touch firmly yet.
- Keep the sound in the nose for two counts.
- Then pronounce the next letter clearly.
Tip: also watch the vowel before the nun – do not turn "an" into "ang" or "aun".
Typical mistakes
- Pronouncing a clear n with the tongue pressed (sounds like izhar).
- Turning the nun into "ng" (especially before ك and ق).
- Shortening the ghunnah, or stretching it far beyond two counts.
- Making a heavy ghunnah before a light letter.
Practice tip
Practise pairs: مِنْ خَوْفٍ (izhar) and مِن جُوعٍ (ikhfa') from Surah Quraysh, verse 4. Feel the difference: in the first the tongue touches firmly, in the second it hovers.