Arabic is distinguished from other languages by the abundance of marks, above and under the word, that facilitate reading any word once you master it. Among those marks, we have the diacritical mark “Shadda,” which we will talk about in detail. In this blog, you will learn more about Shadda, and how to write, read, and pronounce it. Most importantly, learning the proper punctuation of Arabic Shadda.
What Is Shadda in Arabic?
Shadda, which also can be called Tashdeed, is a diacritical mark that is used with the Arabic alphabet, this word literally means in Arabic emphasis or stressing “Tashdeed تَشْدِيْدٌ”. It functionally means to highlight the letter where Shadda is above or below. In other words, it stresses the geminated consonant in a word, producing the proper pronunciation.
Written to double a consonant. You can write it like the small “سـ” or “w” above or below a letter.
Shaddah is considered combining two same letters together, the first one with the diacritical mark “Sukoon” and the second letter is a vowel that can be marked by Dammah, Kasra, or Fatha. Rather than writing the letter two times, we put in Shadda and read with emphasis. For instance, we have the word “سكُّر” that means sugar; the middle letter “ـكُّـ” is supposed to be two letters, “ـكَكْـ,” but in the Arabic language we write Shadda and pronounce them twice in one syllable.
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The Pronunciation of Shadda in Arabic
Shadda has been considered an equivalent to doubling the same letter; the first letter is Sukoon without any vowel sound, and the second letter is a vowel, whether with Fatha, Dammah, or Kasra. Therefore, you need to stop and stress these blended letters for two seconds to pronounce it correctly. Shadda produces a stronger Ghunna sound compared to the rest of the word. For example: the word “رُّوح” means soul in English, when you try to pronounce it, you have to stress the letter “ر,” which is like saying “rro” to be able to pronounce it right.
In any language, practice makes perfect. You may feel overwhelmed or see it as difficult, but once you train yourself to read many words that contain Shadda separately, then read it in longer texts, you will find it getting easier than the first time you see it. In the beginning, you can highlight all letters that have Shaddah and target mastering it. It may take several days but don’t concern yourself about time. The most important thing is to master each diacritical mark before jumping to the next.
The Types of Shadda in Arabic
After learning the meaning of Shada, for sure you notice that it can come with Damma, Fattha, or Kasra that means it has three types. Reminding you that the Shadda is a combination of two same letters: the first one is constant and the second one is vowel. According to the second one we have divided Shadda into the following types:
Shadda with Fath
It’s easy now to predict the diacritical mark in this type; when comes with Fatha they produce Tashdeed Al-Fath, like the word “شَّرب” the letter “ش” here is supposed to be two “ش”; the first “ش” is marked by Sokon and the second “ش” is marked by Fatha. Therefore, we emphasize the doubling of the letter “ش,” instead of saying /sharaba/ it’s pronounced like /shsharaba/.
Shadda with Kasr
Likewise, when two same letters come sequentially, the first letter is constant while the second letter is marked by Kasra, they produce Tashdeed Al-Kasr that makes you stress on the geminated letter for two seconds and pronounce the o sound.
Shadda with Damm
Give a look at the word “قُّل, the letter” قُّـ” is actually a combination of two “قـ” the first one was constant ق and the second one was vowel ق with Damma. So, it has become one letter and you stress pronouncing it, which is Shada with Damm.
A good grasp of these types of Shadda can strongly enhance your Arabic pronunciation and accurately understand their meanings.
Read about Harakat In Arabic Language.
Proper Punctuation of Arabic Shadda with Examples
Shadda punctuation comes from Tashkeel the letter of Shadda.
In Arabic, Shaddah is considered an equivalent of repeating the same letter two times; the first time it should be consonant and the second time it should be vowel. The mark of the vowel letter is the primary factor that determines the proper punctuation of Arabic Shadda.
قدَّر←قدْدَر
ربُّه←ربْبُه
وكِّل←وكْكِل
Examples of Shadda in Arabic Words
Here are different examples of Shadda with Fath, Damm, and Kasr:
التَّمر الدَّرس تغيُّر مدرِّس رحَّب ربُّنا حصِّل سجِّين ستِّين قيِّمة تحدِّث تصدَّى
How Do You Write Shaddah?
Shaddah is formed basically of two same letters, the first one is consonant and the second one is vowel. So, you actually will write two marks; the mark of Shaddah itself and the mark of the vowel, whether Fattha, Damma, or Kassra.
Shaddah is written like that “ ّ ,” which is so small and like the letter “w.” Plus, writing above it the mark of Damma or Fatha, the mark of Kasra is below the letter.
Examples of Writing Shaddah in Its Three Types:
- In Shadda with Fath, you write the mark of Shaddah above the letter and on top of it the mark of Fath, like “غُصَّة/ رجَّت.”
- In Shadda with Kasr, you write the mark of Shaddah above the letter and the mark of Kasr under it, like “رتِّب/ قرِّب.”
- Shadda with Damm is written like Shadda with Fath; the mark of Shaddah and on top of it the mark of Damm, like “جدُّ، عدُّو.”
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When to Use Shaddah
Shaddah’s uses are various, it can be used in just one word or two words. Here are the essential uses of Shaddah:
- When two of the same letters come sequentially, they are blended in one letter with Shaddah. But, the first letter should be constant, which is free from any short vowel, and the second letter should be a vowel.
سْ + سُ = سُّ
Consequently, when you come across a word that has Shaddah, you have to recognize it’s the double consonant sound in one word, so you should extend its sound a little bit more than the rest sounds in the word.
- If the last letter of a word is the same as the first letter in the following word. It is necessary that the last letter of the first word should be with Sukoon and the first letter of the following word should be vowel.
سميعْ عَليم
In this case, we consider it Shadda and recite it with emphasis as if it were one letter.
- Shadda with the sun letters, which are:ت، ث، د، ذ، ر، ز، س، ش، ص، ض، ط، ظ،ن، ل
- There are 14 letters that are permanently with Shadda and we don’t pronounce the letter ل that comes before it, for example:
الشّمس التّلميذ الذّهب اللّبن
- The subsequent phonetically similar letters, we have mentioned, if the last letter in a word is the same like the first letter of the following word we consider it Shadda and stress on their sound. Likewise, the letters that are phonetically similar, such as س،ص or د،ت are considered Shadda and emphasize their sound.
أكلتْ طَبقًا من العنب
- Shadda in verb conjugation, you can see Shadda in many verb conjugations, especially the past form of the verb. Shadda is the factor that differs from the present tense to the past. For instance: we have the verb “يشْرب” that means drink. If you remove the letter “ي,” which indicates the present tense and add Shadda to the letter “ش” you turn it to the past tense; “شَّرب.”
يشْرب←present
شَّرب←Past
- Last but not least, we use Shadda with the proper nouns such as names of people and places. For instance:
عمَّر محمَّد فاطِّمة
مِّصر يَّمن عمَّان
The Rules of Shadda in Arabic
There are some simple rules that guarantee you write and read Shadda correctly. In addition to reducing the ambiguity of the Arabic vocabulary, you read it confidently. The simple rules of Shadda are:
- The First Letter Should Be Consonant
We know that Shadda is formed by integrating two letters, which are the same letter and it’s repeated. The first letter should be consonant. Sukun is one of the diacritical marks but it doesn’t make vowel sounds, you just stop on this letter.
2-The Second Letter Should Be Vowel
Well, you know Shadda is two repeated letters, like ثلْلَة becomes ثلَّة. The second letter of these two repeated letters should be a vowel, which has Damma, Fattha, or Kassra.
3-Shadda Doesn’t Come in the First Letter in the Word
You can never start any word with Shadda, as it’s wrong in Arabic Grammar. In addition, It’s axiomatically not right because it’s formed of two letters, so where is the first constant letter?
4-Emphasize the Constant with Shadda
This rule actually will be applied while reading not writing, you must emphasize the geminated letter.
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How to Read Shadda in Arabic
If you want to know how to read Shadda in Arabic with proper pronunciation, you have to be aware of the main point in pronunciation of the Shadda, which is to emphasize its letter and stop on it for a couple of seconds as long as you read the doubled letter. Shadda is an equivalent of writing the same letter twice, the first time with Sukoon, without any vowel sound, and the second time with a vowel that can be Fatha, Damma, or Kasra (short vowels). Therefore, you make up for them by extending this sound more than ordinary. Considering the sound of the vowel.
For instance, you can read this word “سَمَا” like that /sama/ but with Shadda you have to emphasize the letter a little bit more like: “سمَّاء” is pronounced like /sammaa/.
That’s simply how Shadda in Arabic can be pronounced. You just hold the geminated letter one second more while reading it. Here are some examples to train yourself pronouncing it:
Shadda with Fath: مقَّص سلَّة قطَّة
Shadda with Damm: يعدُّ يقصُّ يشقُّ
Shadda with Kassr: يسبِّح يكلِّم يرتِّب
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Conclusion
Learning Shadda in Arabic can help you a lot in reading and writing the Arabic vocabulary. It’s a crucial diacritic mark in Arabic that has a strong impact on the pronunciation and meaning of Arabic words. You just need to receive a good grasp of it, which you can find in Arabic and Quran courses, and familiarize yourself with multiple examples and you will master it.
FAQ
What Is the Meaning of Shadda?
The term ‘shadda’ means emphasizing the letter. In Arabic Grammar, it’s a diacritical mark.
What Are Diacritical Marks?
In Arabic we have marks that are put above or under the letters instead of the vowel letters to enable us to read the words accurately. They are also called Harakat and Tashkeel. We have three main Harakat; fath, Damm, and Kassr.
How can I Master Shadda?
You have first to understand it exquisitely, take your time in this phase. Then, take out words from the Holy Quran that have Shadda and analyze them, noticing the rules of Shadda.
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