LessonsThe Seven Morphological Classes: Sound, Hamzated, Weak and DoubledQuiz

Madd refers to the long-vowel combination in which a weak letter is quiescent and is preceded by the matching short vowel: fatḥah before alif, ḍammah before wāw, or kasrah before yāʾ.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
قَالَthe long ā is represented with alif.
يَقُولُa long ū follows ḍammah and is represented by wāw.
يَبِيعُa long ī follows kasrah and is represented by yāʾ.

These sound correspondences prepare the learner for later weak-letter changes, but they must not be mistaken for a separate radical in every visible form.

Opening interactive controls...

Vowels and Madd

The Seven Morphological Classes: Sound, Hamzated, Weak and Doubled

Madd refers to the long-vowel combination in which a weak letter is quiescent and is preceded by the matching short vowel: fatḥah before alif, ḍammah before wāw, or kasrah before yāʾ.

Word / formMeaning / explanation
قَالَthe long ā is represented with alif.
يَقُولُa long ū follows ḍammah and is represented by wāw.
يَبِيعُa long ī follows kasrah and is represented by yāʾ.

These sound correspondences prepare the learner for later weak-letter changes, but they must not be mistaken for a separate radical in every visible form.