Lesson 10
Sukūn The Resting Letter
السكون
A letter with sukūn has no vowel. It must be read crisply and stopped not held, not given any sound of its own.
What Is Sukūn?
Sukūn (السكون "stillness/rest") is marked by a small circle (ْ) above a letter. It means the letter carries no vowel at all. The letter must be articulated and stopped cleanly.
بْ
b (no vowel just the consonant)
Lips come together and release no "uh" or "ah" sound after
Sukūn in Words
Sukūn usually appears in the middle of words, after a voweled letter. The pattern is: vowel-letter → sākin-letter → vowel-letter:
كَتَبَka·ta·ba all letters voweled (for contrast)
كَتْبkatb the tāʾ is sākin: "kat·b"
مَسْجِدmas·jid the sīn is sākin
أَمْرamr the mīm is sākin
عِلْمʿilm the lām is sākin
قَلْبqalb the lām is sākin: "heart"
The Most Common Mistake
Learners often add a small vowel after sākin letters especially at the end of a word. The word عِلْم ends in a sākin mīm. It is not "ʿilmu" the mīm is closed, silent.
Sukūn on Qalqalah Letters
Five letters produce a slight "echo-bounce" when they carry sukūn this is called Qalqalah (قلقلة):
قْ
طْ
بْ
جْ
دْ
Qāf · Ṭāʾ · Bāʾ · Jīm · Dāl remember: قطب جد
يَقْطَعyaqṭaʿ both qāf and ṭāʾ are qalqalah here
أَحَدٌaḥad the dāl at word end bounces
Key Points
- Sukūn = zero vowel. The letter is articulated but not held.
- Never add a vowel after a sākin letter this changes the word and its meaning.
- Qalqalah letters bounce when sākin this is a feature, not a mistake. Learn to produce it.