Learn Quran Part 3e – Four-Letter Words
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- Learn Quran Part 3e – Four-Letter Words
Welcome back to your Quran reading journey! In this lesson, we’re going to level up. You’ll learn how to read four-letter Arabic words that contain a Sukoon. These words appear a lot in the Quran and in common Islamic terms. So once you master this lesson, reading will feel smoother and faster.
If you’ve already done the earlier parts, you’re in the perfect place. If not, you may want to first review the 3-letter words with vowels lesson (Part 3c). Then make sure you’ve passed the related quizzes here: Part 3c Quiz and Part 3b Quiz. That way, this lesson will feel much easier.
Before jumping into four-letter words, let’s refresh your memory. You already know the three short vowels:
And you know Sukoon ( ـْ ). It shows that the letter has no vowel. The tongue stops briefly on that letter. The sound comes immediately after the vowel before it.
For example, in the word بَنْ (ban), the بَ has Fatha, and the نْ has Sukoon. You don’t say “ba-na”. You just say “ban”. Short and quick.
If this feels new or shaky, it can really help to revisit Learn Quran Part 3d – Arabic Alphabet with Sukoon. That lesson focuses only on letters with Sukoon, one step at a time.
Three-letter words are like training wheels. Four-letter words are where reading begins to feel real. A lot of everyday names and terms in Arabic and Urdu use this pattern. Also, many Quran words combine vowels and Sukoon in exactly these ways.
So when you master this lesson, you won’t just “sound out” letters. You’ll actually read like a fluent reciter insha’Allah.
To make things easy, we’ll group the words by pattern. That way your brain sees a clear system, not random words.
This is a very common pattern. It looks like this:
Letter 1 has a vowel → Letter 2 has Sukoon → Letter 3 has a vowel → Letter 4 has Sukoon.
Examples:
Notice how the sound “jumps” from each vowel to the next consonant with Sukoon. There’s no extra “a”, “i”, or “u” added. Just clean, sharp sounds.
Here, only the second letter has Sukoon. The last letter has a vowel, so the word ends with a lighter sound instead of a stop.
Examples:
Did you notice the difference? In بَنْدَرْ you stop. In بَنْدَرُ your voice continues with “ru”. That small change can affect meaning, so it’s important.
Let’s walk through the main examples from this lesson. Read the breakdown, then say the full word out loud. Yes, really say it. Your tongue needs practice, not just your eyes.td>مَ + رْ + هَ + مُ
| Word | Breakdown | Pronunciation (Latin) |
|---|---|---|
| بَنْدَرُ | بَ + نْ + دَ + رُ | ban-da-ru |
| مَنْتَرُ | مَ + نْ + تَ + رُ | man-ta-ru |
| صَفْدَرُ | صَ + فْ + دَ + رُ | saf-da-ru |
| جَعْفَرُ | جَ + عْ + فَ + رُ | jaʿ-fa-ru |
| دَفْتَرْ | دَ + فْ + تَ + رْ | daf-tar (stop) |
| دَعْوَتْ | دَ + عْ + وَ + تْ | daʿ-wat (stop) |
| مَنْجَن | مَ + نْ + جَ + نْ | man-jan (stop on n) |
| مَرْهَمُ | mar-ha-mu | |
| سَرْجَنَ | سَ + رْ + جَ + نَ | sar-ja-na |
| لَنْدَن | لَ + نْ + دَ + نْ | lan-dan |
| دَرْجَن | دَ + رْ + جَ + نْ | dar-jan |
| كَمْبَلْ | كَ + مْ + بَ + لْ | kam-bal (stop) |
| خَلْقَتْ | خَ + لْ + قَ + تْ | khal-qat (stop) |
| أَفْسَرُ | أَ + فْ + سَ + رُ | af-sa-ru |
Take your time with the letters ع and خ. They may feel tricky at first. However, with repetition they become natural. Don’t rush. Slow reading with accuracy is better than fast reading with mistakes.
Ready for more? These extra words will help you build fluency. Some are from Urdu or Persian usage, but the letter patterns are perfect for practice.
Try reading these slowly, then a bit faster each time:
Don’t worry if some meanings are unknown. Right now, the goal is reading fluency, not vocabulary. Meaning will come later, step by step.
Here’s another helpful set you can practice with. These include both Sukoon endings and vowel endings:
As you read, listen carefully to how your tongue and lips move. Is the Sukoon crisp? Are you avoiding extra vowels? If you catch yourself saying “ka-ma” instead of “kamْ”, just smile and fix it. Mistakes are part of learning.
To help you truly master the shapes and sounds, we’ll use an interactive board. You able to click groups of letters, hear their sound, and see the transliteration.
Tap any letter below to hear its pronunciation and learn interactively
Here’s a simple routine you can follow for this lesson:
It’s better to practice for 10 focused minutes every day than once a week for an hour. Your tongue loves small, regular practice. Think of it like training a muscle.
You’ll benefit most from Part 3e if you’ve already:
If you haven’t done them yet, don’t worry. You can quickly go back, review, and then return here. Learning Quran is a journey, not a race.
If you’d like a teacher to correct your pronunciation, guide your pace, and keep you motivated, you don’t have to do this alone. At Brightling Minds, we help students step-by-step through lessons just like this one, with live or guided support.
If that sounds helpful, you can apply now for our programs. You’ll be one step closer to confident Quran recitation insha’Allah.
It’s strongly recommended. The quizzes from Part 3b and Part 3c check your understanding of vowels and three-letter combinations. Without that, four-letter words with Sukoon might feel overwhelming. If you haven’t done them yet, complete: Part 3c Quiz and Part 3b Quiz first.
Aim for short, regular sessions instead of long, rare ones. Even 10–15 minutes a day works well. Read the words aloud, repeat them a few times, then come back the next day. Consistency matters much more than speed.
That’s normal in the beginning. Focus on spotting the Sukoon sign visually first. You can even lightly mark it with a pencil in your personal copy. Say to yourself, “Here I stop the sound.” Over time, your eyes will find Sukoon automatically.
Transliteration helps at the start, but it’s only a tool. Your goal should be to recognize the Arabic letters and vowels directly. Use transliteration as a backup, not a crutch. The interactive board on this page is designed to help you move away from dependence on transliteration step by step.
Four-letter words with Sukoon appear very often in the Quran. Once you can decode them easily, long ayat feel less scary. You start reading line by line without stopping every second. So this lesson is a bridge between basic reading and fluent Quran recitation.
