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Practice idgham
مِنmin رَّبِّهِمۡrabbīhim وَwa مَنmanIdgham · يرملون
Idgham — audible merge, word validated. Idghām means merging. When a nūn sakinah or tanwīn meets one of ي ن م و, you merge with ghunnah. When it meets ل ر, you merge without ghunnah. The first letter disappears into the second; you do not pronounce a clear nūn then a separate next letter.
The two families at a glance
Following letter What you do ي merge + ghunnah, two ḥarakāt ن merge + ghunnah, two ḥarakāt م merge + ghunnah, two ḥarakāt و merge + ghunnah, two ḥarakāt ل full merge, no nasal at all ر full merge, no nasal at all Spotting idgham in a verse
مِن يَّشَاءُ
Classic classroom example: min yashāʾ — the nūn merges into yāʾ with nasal. In prayer you meet this pattern across words. Tilmidh shows Uthmani tajweed colors so the merge is visible before you open the mic. The mic then checks that you produced the resulting word shape, not that your ghunnah lasted exactly two ḥarakāt.
The three traps
Mistakes: saying a full nūn then jumping (iẓhār by accident), or swallowing so hard that the next letter vanishes. Another trap: applying idghām where iẓhār is required (throat letters ء ه ع ح غ خ). Read the colored text; if in doubt, stop and ask a muqriʾ.
A practice path that works
Practice slowly on short surahs first — Ikhlāṣ and Fātiḥah — then longer āyāt. A grey box means repeat that token only. This is how beginners who already pray improve without a 40-minute theory video. See also best tajweed app for beginners and the ghunnah page for the nasal itself.
Open the mic on Al-FātiḥahFrequently asked questions
Which letters trigger idgham?
Six in total: ي ن م و (remembered as “yanmū”), where the merge carries a ghunnah, and ل ر, where the merge has no nasal at all.
Why does idgham not apply inside a single word?
Because the rule concerns a nūn sakinah or tanwīn followed by one of the six letters in the next word. Inside one word the sequence is read as iẓhār — as in dunyā or bunyān, where the nūn stays clear.
How do I know whether to nasalise?
Look at the following letter. If it is ي, ن, م or و: merge with a two-ḥarakāt ghunnah. If it is ل or ر: dry merge, no nasal. There is no middle case.