Lam shamsiyyah and qamariyyah: sun and moon letters
The Arabic word for “the” is al- (ال). Sometimes its lam is pronounced, and sometimes it disappears into the next letter. Which one depends on that next letter: the 14 “sun letters” swallow the lam, and the 14 “moon letters” keep it.
Last updated: 1 October 2026
The sun letters
Before a sun letter (lam shamsiyyah), the lam is silent and the next letter is doubled with a shaddah: ٱلشَّمْس is read ash-shams, not al-shams.
ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن
Examples: ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ (ar-rahman), ٱلنَّاسِ (an-nas), ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ (as-salah).
The moon letters
Before a moon letter (lam qamariyyah), the lam is pronounced clearly with a sukoon: ٱلْقَمَر is read al-qamar.
ا ب ج ح خ ع غ ف ق ك م ه و ي
Examples: ٱلْحَمْدُ (al-hamdu), ٱلْكِتَٰبُ (al-kitab), ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ (al-mustaqim).
How to tell them apart
The mushaf shows you: if the lam has a sukoon (لْ) and the next letter has none, it is a moon letter; if the lam has no mark and the next letter has a shaddah, it is a sun letter. Many learners also memorise the moon letters with the phrase ابْغِ حَجَّكَ وَخَفْ عَقِيمَهُ; any letter not in it is a sun letter.
Examples from the Quran
Al-Fatihah alone shows both: ٱلْحَمْدُ and ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ (moon), and ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ and ٱلرَّحِيمِ (sun). Read the whole surah in our guide to Surah Al-Fatihah.
This rule is taught early in Noorani Qaida, alongside the Arabic alphabet. For the full set of rules, see our tajweed rules guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many sun and moon letters are there?
Fourteen of each, making up the 28 letters of the Arabic alphabet.
Why are they called sun and moon letters?
After the two words used to teach them: in الشَّمْس (the sun) the lam is silent, and in الْقَمَر (the moon) it is pronounced.
Does this rule apply only in the Quran?
No, it is a rule of Arabic pronunciation generally, which is why Arabic speakers say "ash-shams", not "al-shams".
What if a word starts with "al-" in the middle of a sentence?
The hamzah of "al" is a connecting hamzah and is not pronounced when joined to the word before, but the sun or moon rule for the lam still applies. See hamzat al-wasl.
Practise sun and moon letters with a teacher
Three free one-to-one lessons in UK time, starting from the first page of the Qaida.