Heavy and light letters
A heavy letter is pronounced with a full mouth, a light one is not. 7 Arabic letters are always heavy. Seen and saad are the classic pair: one light, one heavy, and the word depends on which is recited.
Learn Quran with TajweedFor families in the USA
Online Tajweed Classes for Kids
Help your child learn Quran with Tajweed in live 1-to-1 online classes. Our qualified teachers take your child through the Tajweed course step by step, from the first rules to accurate recitation.
- Highly Qualified Male & Female TeachersOne-on-One Interactive Classes
- Up to 3 Free Trial ClassesSee a Real Class Before You Pay
- Flexible SchedulingLearn at Your Own Pace
What are the Tajweed rules a beginner learns first?
At Live Quran Lessons, a beginner learns 6 Tajweed rules first: heavy and light letters, long vowels, qalqalah, Noon and Meem Sakin, sakoon and tashdeed, and stopping (waqf). The Noorani Qaida introduces every one of these marks separately, before the Mus'haf, the printed Quran, is opened. On the Mus'haf everything arrives together, inside whole verses, at recitation speed. Our Tajweed course helps your child make that change correctly.
Two Arabic letters can sound almost the same and still make two different words. A short vowel held too long, or a long one cut short, changes the word into another. Tajweed is the set of rules that keeps every word sounding exactly as it should. Here is an explanation of each of the 6 in plain words.
Long vowels, maddah and leen
A long vowel is the stretching of a sound, and a maddah sign stretches it further still. Leen is the soft sound of waw or yaa after an a sound, as in bayt, the Arabic word for house.
Qalqalah
A short bounce given to 5 letters whenever they carry no vowel: qaf, the heavy taa, baa, jeem and dal. The bounce is strongest when the letter is the final sound before the reciter stops.
Noon Sakin and Meem Sakin
A noon or a meem with no vowel is pronounced according to the letter that follows it: clearly, merged into that letter, or hidden with a soft nasal sound. Before baa, a noon sakin also turns into a meem sound.
Sakoon and tashdeed
Sakoon is a small mark above a letter: the letter carries no vowel of its own. Tashdeed is a small w-shaped mark: the letter is doubled and held for a moment, exactly like the double l in Allah.
Stopping (Waqf)
The small marks above the line that show where a reciter stops for breath, where a stop is permitted, and where it is not. Stopping in the wrong position can change the meaning of a verse.
Book your free Tajweed trial class
Book a Free Trial ClassUp to 3 free classes, and nothing to cancel. We reply on WhatsApp, and a first class can start within an hour or two.
Step by step
Tajweed Rules in a Simple Way
Your child will learn the main Tajweed rules step by step with clear examples, making it easy to recite the Quran correctly and beautifully.
Short Vowels (Harakat)
Learn the basic short sounds: Fathah, Kasrah and Dammah.
بَba (a)
Long Vowels (Madd)
Learn the three long vowels, Alif, Waw and Yaa, and how long each one is held.
بَاbaa (aa)
Noon Sakinah & Tanween
Learn 4 rules: Izhar, Idgham, Iqlab and Ikhfa.
مِنْmin
Meem Sakinah
Learn 3 rules: Izhar, Idgham and Ikhfa.
لَهُمْlahum
Qalqalah
Learn the 5 Qalqalah letters and how to give them a slight bounce.
قَدْqad
Other Important Rules
Learn important rules like Laam Sakinah, rules of Raa and more for fluent recitation.
اللَّهِAllah
How does the teacher correct my child's pronunciation?
The teacher corrects each word the moment your child recites it, with the Mus'haf shared on screen. If a heavy letter comes out light, or a long vowel is cut short, the teacher stops on that word and puts it right.
- Every Tajweed rule is learned on the words where it is used, not memorized first as a list.
- Every teacher holds a qualification from a recognized Islamic institution.
- You can sit with your child and listen to any lesson, without asking us first.
- After every class, a short note in plain English is posted in your family WhatsApp group: what was covered, what to practise, and a link to the Para in our online library.
Where does my child start learning Tajweed?
At the point they have already reached, not at page 1 for everyone. When you book, tell us on WhatsApp whether your child is a complete beginner or has learned previously. The free trial classes show the teacher exactly where your child stands.
Partway through a Qaida
The Noorani Qaida is finished first, so every letter is recognized and pronounced correctly. Only then does your child begin recitation from the Mus'haf.
Reciting from the Mus'haf, rules not yet known
This is where the course begins. Your child recites a line, and every beginner rule is corrected immediately, the first time it appears.
Reciting with the beginner rules in place
The course carries on into advanced Tajweed: all 17 articulation points, the positions in the mouth and throat a letter comes from.
Know your makharij
What does my child learn in advanced Tajweed?
Your child learns the makharij: the 17 points where the Arabic letters are made, grouped in 5 areas.
The open mouth
1 pointThe long vowel sounds.
The throat
3 points6 letters, from the deepest point to the nearest.
The tongue
10 points18 letters, more than anywhere else.
The lips
2 points4 letters: faa, baa, meem and waw.
The nose
1 pointGhunnah, the nasal sound.
Each point is practised inside real verses, and the teacher corrects a letter the moment it comes from the wrong place.
Basic or advanced Tajweed: which does my child need?
Most children start with the basic rules and then move on to advanced Tajweed. The free trial classes show the teacher which level your child is ready for.
Basic Tajweed for beginners
For a child who reads Arabic letters and words and is starting to recite from the Mus'haf. Lessons are 30 minutes, 1-to-1, 2 to 5 days a week.
- Heavy and light letters
- Long vowels, maddah and leen
- Qalqalah on its 5 letters
- Noon Sakin and Meem Sakin
- Sakoon, tashdeed and stopping (waqf)
Advanced Tajweed
For a child who already recites from the Mus'haf with the beginner rules in place. Lessons are 30 minutes, or 45 minutes to 1 hour if you ask.
- All 17 articulation points (makharij)
- 3 points in the throat, 10 on the tongue, 2 at the lips
- The open mouth for long vowels, the nose for ghunnah
- Telling apart letters made close together
- The beginner rules, still corrected in every verse
How flexible are the online Tajweed classes?
How many days a week does my child need?
2, 3, 4 or 5, whichever suits your family. More days a week means more lessons every month.
- 2days a week8 lessons a month$39 a monthSign up for 2 days a week
- 3days a week12 lessons a month$49 a monthSign up for 3 days a week
- 4days a week16 lessons a month$59 a monthSign up for 4 days a week
- 5days a week20 lessons a month$65 a monthSign up for 5 days a week
To add a day later, ask in your family WhatsApp group. There is no contract and no minimum term, so you can stop at the end of any month.
Can we change the teacher?
Yes. Tell us in your family WhatsApp group, and we try to settle it before the next class.
A different teacher is arranged the same way. If your child's teacher is away, a cover teacher briefed on your child's lesson plan takes the class.
Course at a glance
Is Quran with Tajweed the right course for my child?
Yes, if your child can already read Arabic letters and words: every lesson is recitation from the Mus'haf, the printed Quran. Live Quran Lessons has taught it online since 2019, to families in 15 countries, most of them in the UK and the USA.
- Who it is for
- A child who can already read Arabic letters and words. A beginner starts on the Noorani Qaida first.
- Each lesson
- 30 minutes, 1-to-1, live on Google Meet: usually 20 minutes of recitation and 10 of Islamic Studies. Ask if you want recitation only.
- Language
- English, or Urdu where that is easier for your child.
- What you need
- A laptop, tablet or phone with a camera. Nothing to install or buy, and the class link stays the same.
More for parents
Tajweed Rules for Kids, in the Order We Teach Them
In the order we actually teach them.
What Parents Get Wrong About Tajweed
The commonest misunderstanding.
When Is a Child Ready to Move From Qaida to the Quran?
How to tell the child is ready.
Book your free Tajweed trial
Up to 3 free classes with a qualified teacher, and no credit card at registration.
- Up to 3 free trial classes
- No credit card required
- Qualified male and female teachers
- A time that suits your family
Trusted by Families Worldwide
Watch families and students talk about their own experience.
Hear it from your own child next. Up to 3 free classes, and no card at signup.
Book a Free Trial Class5.0/5 — Google rating 5.0 out of 5, opens in a new tab4.7/5 — Trustpilot rating 4.7 out of 5, opens in a new tab
Real Stories From Our Quran Learning Families
See why families choose our 1-to-1 online Quran classes for their children.
Try a free 1-to-1 class first. See how your child does with the teacher, then choose.
Book Up to 3 Free Trial ClassesNo credit card required · No obligation · Review excerpts shortened for clarity
Explore Our Other Quran Courses
Every course is taught one-to-one by a qualified tutor, and every one starts with up to 3 free trial classes.
FAQ
The questions parents ask us most, answered.
What is Tajweed?
The rules for how every Arabic letter should sound in recitation. They cover the position in the mouth, the length of each sound, and where a reader may stop.
Can Tajweed be learned online?
Yes. Your child reads aloud to a qualified teacher, who corrects each slip in pronunciation as it happens.
Does my child need to know Arabic to start Tajweed?
Not the language, no. Your child needs to be able to read the Arabic letters, because Tajweed is about how those letters sound. A child who cannot read them yet starts on the Noorani Qaida and comes to Tajweed from there.
How long does it take to read with Tajweed?
There is no fixed time. It depends on where your child starts.
Can my child have a longer Tajweed class than 30 minutes?
Yes. 45-minute and 1-hour classes are also provided once regular classes start. Trial classes are 30 minutes.
More questions(2)
My child reads the Quran already but the pronunciation is wrong. Can it be fixed?
Yes, and it is the most common reason families come to this course. The teacher listens to your child recite, writes down which letters and which rules are slipping, and works through them one at a time rather than starting the Quran again. Habits that were learned wrong take longer to undo than to learn, so the earlier it is heard, the quicker it goes.
How long before I hear a difference?
Most parents hear individual letters land correctly within the first few weeks, because the teacher corrects them in the class itself rather than at the end of a chapter. Reading a whole page with the rules applied, without being reminded, takes months and depends on how often your child reads at home between classes.