Tanwin: an, in, un

Look closely at the end of these words: the little vowel is written twice! That is tanwin (التَّنْوِين). It adds an "n" sound that we hear but do not write.

• Two fatḥas ـً = "an" • Two kasras ـٍ = "in" • Two ḍammas ـٌ = "un" (the two ḍammas often look like a small ḍamma with a tail)

With the same word: كِتَابٌ kitaabun كِتَابًا kitaaban كِتَابٍ kitaabin

Do you notice? With two fatḥas, we often add an alif at the end (كِتَابًا), but we do not stretch it: we just say "an". After ة or ء, we do not add that alif.

Words you may already say: شُكْرًا shukran: thank you 🙏 مَرْحَبًا marḥaban: hello 😊 أَهْلًا ahlan: welcome جِدًّا jiddan: very وَلَدٌ waladun: a boy بِنْتٌ bintun: a girl

And in the Qur'an, Surah Al-Ikhlaaṣ begins with: قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ qul huwa llaahu aḥadun: "Say: He is Allah, the One." (meaning of verse 112:1) The last word, أَحَدٌ, has a tanwin "un".

When we stop at the end of a word with tanwin: "un" and "in" disappear (we say "aḥad"), and "an" becomes "aa" (we say "shukraa"). Your teacher will let you hear it.

Little activity: write the word قَلَم (pen) three times in your notebook. Add ـٌ to the first, ـً to the second, ـٍ to the third, then read: qalamun, qalaman, qalamin!

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Tanwin is a hidden "n": we do not write it with the letter ن, we show it by doubling the vowel. It is a very short way of writing. Often, tanwin means "a" or "an": كِتَابٌ is "a book"; when we say "the book", we put "al" at the start and the tanwin disappears (you will see it in a coming lesson). In the Qur'an, tanwin is everywhere. Reading it properly is respecting the Word of Allah, which He sent down in clear Arabic (12:2).

Lessons to draw from it • I always look at the end of words: one vowel or two? • I say "an, in, un" without adding a long sound. • I practise with everyday words, like "shukran".

Key points to remember • ـً = an; ـٍ = in; ـٌ = un. • The alif after ـً is not stretched. • Tanwin often means "a, an". • "Qul huwa llaahu aḥadun" (112:1) ends with a tanwin.

The main message A vowel written twice is a hidden "n": an, in, un. I look at the end of words to read them properly.