Lesson 8
Letters of Elongation and Softness
حروف المد واللين
Madd letters and Leen letters look the same (و and ي) but behave differently depending on what comes before them. Learn to tell them apart.
Madd Letters vs Leen Letters
The letters و and ي serve two roles in Qurʾānic recitation. The role they play depends on the vowel of the letter immediately before them:
LetterWhat comes before itTypeLength
وْ
Letter with ḍammah (فُو)
Madd letter → long ū
2 counts
يْ
Letter with kasrah (فِي)
Madd letter → long ī
2 counts
وْ
Letter with fatḥah (فَوْ)
Leen letter (حرف لين)
2 counts naturally
يْ
Letter with fatḥah (فَيْ)
Leen letter (حرف لين)
2 counts naturally
What Does "Leen" Sound Like?
Leen (لين "soft/easy") letters produce a gentle gliding sound like the English diphthongs in "low" (و) and "lay" (ي). The sound does not break or stop; it glides softly out of the preceding fatḥah:
خَوْفkhawf "fear" wāw leen after fatḥah
بَيْتbayt "house" yāʾ leen after fatḥah
صَوْتṣawt "sound/voice"
عَيْنʿayn "eye / spring"
Side-by-Side Comparison
يَقُولُyaqūlu wāw madd (ḍammah before wāw)
قَوْلqawl wāw leen (fatḥah before wāw)
فِيfī yāʾ madd (kasrah before yāʾ)
خَيْرkhayr yāʾ leen (fatḥah before yāʾ)
Key Points
- Always check the vowel of the letter before the و or ي that tells you which type it is.
- Madd and leen both get 2 counts naturally. Leen can be extended further at a pause in some Tajweed rules that comes later.
- The leen letters are sometimes written with a sukūn (وْ يْ) to show they carry no vowel.