Once children know the three short vowels, the sukoon is the next mark they meet. It lets them read joined syllables for the first time.
What it looks like
بْ مْ نْ
A small round circle above the letter.
What it does
The letter is said with no vowel after it. It closes the syllable before it:
- مِنْ = mi + n = “min”
- قُلْ = qu + l = “qul”
- لَمْ = la + m = “lam”
Step-by-step practice
- Two letters: أَبْ، أَمْ، أَنْ (ab, am, an).
- Three letters: مِنْ، قُلْ، هَلْ (min, qul, hal).
- Real Quran words: الْحَمْدُ has a sukoon on ل and م: al-ham-du.
Common mistakes
- Adding a vowel: reading مِنْ as “mina”. Tell your child, “The circle means stop.”
- Stopping too hard: the letter still needs to be heard clearly, especially ن and م.
- Qalqalah letters: ق ط ب ج د with a sukoon bounce slightly. See what is qalqalah?
Teacher’s tip: draw a little red stop sign around each sukoon in a practice sheet. After a week, remove the colour and see if your child still stops.
Related: How do Arabic vowels (harakat) work?
