The tongue is a key articulation point in Tajweed, producing 17 letters from four regions, each with unique sounds essential for correct Quranic recitation. Mastering heavy letters like those in “خص ضغط قظ” ensures proper Tafkhīm and prevents changes in meaning. The tongue is the strongest muscle in the human body; it has the most points of articulation for sounds. This means if you master the tajweed tongue letters, you have made a significant breakthrough in learning articulations and the whole tajweed. This topic focuses on a structured explanation of Tongue Letters (حروف اللسان), starting with a quick overview of the tongue as a main articulation point and highlighting which letters are emphatic (مفخمة).

Tajweed Tongue Letters

The tongue (Lisān) is one of the five primary articulation points in Tajweed, containing ten precise articulation spots spread across four regions: the back, middle, sides, and tip of the tongue. The back of the tongue produces ق and ك, with Qāf being heavy and plosive, and Kāf being light and articulated slightly forward. The middle of the tongue articulates ج, ش, and ي, all emerging from contact with the upper palate and differentiated by their unique characteristics (Sifat). The sides of the tongue are responsible for the letters ل and ض, with Ḍād being particularly unique and complex due to its deep articulation point alongside the molars.The tip of the tongue is the most versatile region, producing eleven letters through five distinct sub-points. These include apical letters س، ص، ز, interdental letters ث، ذ، ظ, palato-alveolar letters ط، د، ت, and unique articulations for ر and ن. Rāʼ is pronounced by curling the tip of the tongue slightly inward with a possible vibration, while Nūn is similar in placement but involves a nasal sound (ghunnah). Each of these letters requires careful attention to articulation and accompanying Tajweed rules, such as qalqalah, heaviness (tafkhīm), and lightness (tarqīq), ensuring proper and beautiful recitation of the Quran.So, It is one of the five main primary articulation points. It contains 10 special articulation points divided into 4 regions as follows:

1. Back of the Tongue Letters (Aqṣā al-Lisān)

This part of the tongue is located near the throat and comes into contact with the palate (velum). It contains 2 secondary articulation points:

The articulation point of ق :

If the back of the tongue moved up into the soft palate front, fleshy part. It is a voiced, plosive (stop) letter that is pronounced with an echoing sound (Qalqalah) when silent. It is also a heavy-mouthed letter.

Word	translation	Transliteration
قاف	Qāf (the letter)	Qāf
اقرأ	Read / Recite	Iqra’
العلق	The Clinging Clot	Al-‘Alaq
القلم	The Pen	Al-Qalam

The articulation point of ك:

If the back of the tongue moved up into the Hard palate front, the bony part. This means that the articulation point of this letter is just below ق. Try the following

word	translation	Transliteration
الذِّكْر	The Remembrance	adh-dhikr
الْكِتَاب	The Book	al-kitāb
كَمْ	How many / How much	kam

2. Middle of the Tongue Letters (Wasṭ al-Lisān)

The middle part of the tongue will rise toward the upper palate. It contains 1 articulation point for 3 letters Jīm (ج), Shīn (ش), and Yāʼ (ي) (non-madd letter). They are all produced from the middle of the tongue in contact with the corresponding part of the upper palate. You can memorize the three letters (ي -ج- ش) in the Arabic word جيش, which means (Army). They are distinguished from each other by Sifat (attributes of each letter). Try to find out letters that originate from Wasṭ al-Lisān in the following sentences:

• جلسَ جابرٌ على الجسر.
• شربَ الطفلُ الحليبَ بشهية.
• يشتري ياسرُ شيئًا جديدًا.
• جميلٌ وجهُ الجندي الشجاع.
• شرحتْ المعلمةُ دروسَ التجويد.

Practice more examples online in our Advanced Tajweed course.

3. Side of the Tongue Letters (Ḥāffat al-Lisān)

Either side (left or right) of the tongue, or sometimes both, along with the molars of the upper teeth. There are 2 Letters that originate here, which are grouped and remembered using the word ‘Ḍal'(ضل), which means(lose), as a mnemonic:

• Lām (ل): The letter Lām is articulated from the nearest edges of the tongue to their end, along with what corresponds to them from the upper gums of the front teeth.
• Dad(ض): The letter Ḍād is articulated from the farthest edge of the tongue to its nearest part, along with what corresponds to it from the upper molars. This is the most difficult articulation point among the Arabic letters, and this sound does not exist in any other language.

4. Tip of the Tongue Letters (Ṭarf al-Lisān)

The tip of the tongue is a small part, but it contains five secondary articulation points, each of which can be responsible for one letter or more. This leads to a total of 11 letters coming from the tip of the tongue. Here is a breakdown of articulation points at the tip of the tongue:

A. الحروف الأسلية (Al-Ḥurūf Al-Asliyya) Apical letters

This name is because they are articulated from the tip of the tongue, specifically from its sharp edge called “Aslat al-Lisān” This part is responsible for producing these three letters: س (Sīn), ص (Ṣād), and ز (Zāy). These letters are articulated from the tip of the tongue, in contact with the surfaces of the lower front teeth, and the sound passes through a narrow gap between the upper and lower front teeth. Unlike( ز (Zāy)-س (Sīn) ), the letterط is pronounced with the back of the tongue raised, and they are distinguished by their Sifat (characteristics. They are differentiated through attributes(Sifat). Ṣād would have been Sīn if not for its elevation (Istiʿlāʼ ) and compression (Iṭbāq )

B. الحروف النطعية (Al-Ḥurūf An-Naṭʿiyya) Palato-alveolar letters

They are articulated near the roof of the mouth (especially the hard palate area). This area is called in Arabic (نطع الفم – Naṭʿ al-Fam). They are 3 lettersط (Ṭāʼ), د (Dāl), and ت (Tāʼ., which share the same articulation of the tip of the tongue.

C. الحروف اللثوية (Al-Ḥurūf Al-Lithawiyya)Interdental (or Dental) letters

Al-Ḥurūf Al-Lithawiyya, which means interdental letter, are articulated from the tip of the tongue with the tip of the front upper teeth. They are 3 letters: ث (Thāʼ), ذ (Dhāl), and ظ (Ẓāʼ). Letter Ẓāʼظ is a heavy letter in which the back of the tongue should be raised to give it an emphatic nature.

D. حرف الراء (Ḥarf Ar-Rāʼ) The letter Rāʼ (ر)

This letter is articulated from the tip of the tongue, which slightly curves upward toward the top of the mouth and comes in contact with the gum of the upper front teeth (alveolar ridge). The point of articulation is inward (toward the tongue body) compared to Nūn. A small gap remains between the tongue tip and the roof of the mouth, allowing the sound to pass through. Rāʼ may involve vibration (repetition) if not controlled properly during pronunciation. You should know the rules of Raa` in Tajweed, which decide if you should pronounce it light or heavy.

E. حرف النون (Ḥarf An-Nūn) The letter Nūn (ن)

It is also articulated from the tip of the tongue touching the gum of the upper front teeth, similar to Rā, but the airway is blocked completely, causing the sound to resonate. The sound emerges through the nasal passage (ghunnah) in addition to the oral cavity. Nūn is articulated closer to the actual tip of the tongue than Rāʼ. There are special Nun sakiina rules that affect the letter after it.

Importance of Heavy Full Mouth Letters Tajweed

Learning the full-mouth (heavy) letters in Tajweed is very crucial for the proper pronunciation of Quranic verses. Some letters, when pronounced with heaviness (Tafkhīm), become completely different letters, which can change the meaning entirely. For example, some readers pronounce ز (Zāy) as if it were ظ (Ẓāʼ), and others mistakenly convert ض (Ḍād) into د (Dāl). This may change the meaning, for example, the word ض means lose; if it were mistakenly pronounced د, the word would be دل, which means guide.

Understanding Heavy Full-Mouth Letters Tajweed

In Basic Quranic Arabic, you learn that seven letters are heavy because their sound resonates in the upper part of the mouth. More precisely, the voice is compressed against the dome of the upper palate, giving these letters their distinctive full-mouth (Tafkhīm) quality. These seven letters are grouped in the Arabic mnemonic خص ضغط قظ. This occurs in the following steps:

1. Involuntary movement of the epiglottis backward, causing narrowing of the throat.
2. The sound is compressed as if you are squeezing a water hose.
3. This pushes the sound up toward the dome of the palate, when the sound rises in it, causes an echo.
4. To emit this sound, the tongue curves upward as if you’re holding water in your hands. This increases the echo, and the mouth becomes full.
5. This fullness is what gives the letter its bold, heavy character
6. Although the voice will be heavy and emphatic, they are not all of the same degree. Since the heaviness of the letter depends on the Taskheel in the following order: Fatha after Alif > Fatha > Damma > Sukoon > Kasra.

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Conclusion:

Tajweed tongue letters are very important since the tongue is responsible for pronouncing 17 letters. These letters come from different areas of the tongue: the back (likeق -ك ), the middle (grouped in جيش), the sides (like ضand ل), and the tip, which is grouped in 4 main parts.. Each part helps produce sounds with unique characteristics that are essential for proper Quranic recitation. One of these characteristics is Tafkheem, which makes some letters, like those in the group “خص ضغط قظ”, which are heavy (emphatic). When you pronounce them, they make the mouth feel full. You should learn them to avoid changing the meaning of the Quranic word.