Online Tajweed classes with native Arab teachers
Murouj Academy's online Tajweed classes teach children and adults to recite the Quran correctly, from the articulation points of the letters to the rules of stopping. Every class is live and one-to-one with a native Arab teacher, women learn with female teachers, and your first class is a free trial.
Tajweed Classes at a glance
- Format
- Live one-to-one online classes. Murouj Academy never runs group classes.
- Who it's for
- Children who have finished the Qaida, adults who read but want to correct mistakes, and students preparing for hifz or ijazah
- Level
- Beginner, intermediate and advanced
- Lesson length
- 30, 45 or 60 minutes
- Classes per week
- 2, 3, 4 or 5
- Teachers
- Native Arab teachers, including ijazah holders
- Teacher matching
- Female teachers for women and girls, male teachers for men; parents choose for children
- Before you start
- Able to read the Arabic letters. New readers start with the Qaida.
- Outcome
- Correct recitation with the rules applied, ready for hifz or further study with your teacher
- Free trial
- One free trial class with your teacher
What is tajweed, and why must a teacher hear you?
Tajweed is the set of rules for reciting the Quran correctly: where each letter comes from, how it sounds, when sounds merge, hide or lengthen, and where to stop. The word itself means doing something well.
You can read the rules in a book, but tajweed is a spoken skill. The Quran has always been taught mouth to ear: a teacher listens, corrects and has you recite again until the sound is right. Our article on why we learn tajweed explains the reasons in more depth.
Who is this course for?
Children
Children usually begin tajweed once they can read from the Qaida. Lessons are short and lively, and parents choose the teacher.
Adults who read but are unsure
If you can read the Quran but are not sure your pronunciation is right, a private class lets you fix mistakes without anyone else listening. Men are taught by male teachers.
Women and girls
Sisters and girls are always taught by a female teacher.
New Muslims
Once you can read the letters, tajweed helps you recite with the sounds of native Arabic from the start, with a patient teacher who explains in English.
Hifz and ijazah students
Tajweed is the foundation for memorizing and for an ijazah. Many students study it before or alongside hifz.
What will you learn?
Your teacher builds a personalized curriculum from the stages below, starting from your level and skipping what you already know.
Beginner: the letters and their sounds
- Articulation points of the letters (makharij al-huruf)
- Qualities of the letters (sifat al-huruf)
- Heavy and light letters (tafkhim and tarqiq)
- Short vowels, sukun and shaddah read correctly
Intermediate: the core rules
- Noon sakinah and tanween: izhar, idgham, iqlab and ikhfa'
- Meem sakinah rules
- Noon and meem with shaddah (ghunnah)
- Qalqalah
- The rules of lam and ra
Advanced: length, stopping and fluency
- Madd: natural and secondary lengthening
- Stopping and starting (waqf and ibtida') and the stop marks in the mushaf
- Applying every rule fluently in long passages
- Classical texts such as Tuhfat al-Atfal and al-Jazariyyah, where your plan includes them
Milestones along the way
- Pronounce every Arabic letter from its correct articulation point
- Recognize and apply the noon, meem and madd rules as you read
- Stop and start correctly at the stop marks
- Recite a full page fluently, with fewer and fewer corrections
- Move on to hifz or further study with a solid foundation
How fast will you progress?
It depends on the student: your starting point, your age, how many classes you take each week and how much you practice in between. Your teacher sets a personalized plan after the free trial class and reviews it with you as you go, so your milestones fit you rather than a fixed timetable.
Which letters do English speakers find hardest?
Several Arabic letters have no English equivalent, and pairs of them sound alike to an untrained ear. A native Arab teacher has said these sounds since childhood, so they model the difference naturally and hear at once when you slip. These are the pairs most lessons spend time on.
| Letters | What changes |
|---|---|
| ح and ه | ح comes from the middle of the throat with a tight, breathy sound; ه comes from the deepest part of the throat and is light, like an English h. |
| ع and ء | ع is a voiced sound from the middle of the throat; ء (hamzah) is a short catch from the deepest part of the throat. |
| ص and س | Both come from the tip of the tongue, but ص is heavy, with the back of the tongue raised, while س is light. |
| ض and د | ض comes from the side of the tongue against the upper molars and is heavy; د comes from the tip of the tongue and is light. |
| ط and ت | Both come from the tip of the tongue behind the upper front teeth; ط is heavy and ت is light. |
| ق and ك | ق comes from the very back of the tongue and is heavy; ك comes from a little further forward and is light. |
Our Arabic alphabet pronunciation guide describes every letter, and our guide to the rules of stopping in the Quran covers the waqf signs you will practice in the advanced stage.
What happens in a tajweed class?
You recite from the Madinah Mushaf page, which is synced between your screen and your teacher's. Your teacher stops you at each mistake, explains the rule on the shared whiteboard, models the correct sound and has you recite again. Each lesson ends with practice for the days in between, with PDFs, slides or videos where they help, and your teacher follows up on it next time.
How do the classes work?
One-to-one, never in a group
Tajweed is a spoken skill. Every class is just you and your teacher, so the teacher hears every letter and corrects it as you recite.
A personalized plan
Your teacher starts from what you can already do and builds the lessons around the rules you need, at your pace.
You choose your teacher
You choose your teacher, keep them while it is a good fit, and can switch at any time. Matching is never random.
A free trial class first
Your first class is a free trial with your teacher, who listens to you read and suggests where to start.
Times that suit your family
Every class is set at an hour that suits you, in your own time zone, whether you live in the US, Canada, the UK or Australia.
Murouj's own online classroom
Lessons run in Murouj Academy's classroom, with the Madinah Mushaf page synced between you and your teacher and a shared whiteboard. There is no account or app to install.
Lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes, 2 to 5 times a week; the packages page explains the options. Most students stay with Murouj Academy for more than a year. For class times in your time zone, see our pages for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Not sure where to start?
Book a free trial class: your teacher checks your level and suggests a first step.
Who teaches this course?
Every Murouj Academy teacher is a native Arab from the Arab world. Some hold an ijazah, and each profile states which. Many of our teachers studied at or are certified by Al-Azhar. Women and girls are taught by female teachers, adult men by male teachers, and for children the parent chooses. These are some of the teachers who teach this course, with details from their own bios.
Amani M.
Female teacher
Ijazah in Quran recitation (Hafs 'an 'Asim) and ijazahs in Matn al-Jazariyyah and Tuhfat al-Atfal. Teaches Quran, tajweed and Islamic studies.
Salma O.
Female teacher
Has memorized the whole Quran. Holds certificates in Tuhfat al-Atfal, the Qaidah and tajweed for non-Arabic speakers.
Abrar R.
Female teacher
Al-Azhar University graduate. Teaches Quran, tajweed, Arabic and Islamic studies to children, teens and adults.
Mohammad S.
Male teacher
Bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University. Has memorized the whole Quran and teaches non-Arabic speakers from the basics up.
Meet all our teachers and read their full bios, then choose the one you would like for your free trial class.
How do one-to-one classes with a native Arab teacher compare?
Group classes and teachers who learned Arabic later both help many students. Murouj Academy chooses one-to-one classes and native Arab teachers so that every student gets a teacher's full attention and hears the Quran's language from someone who has spoken it since childhood.
| One-to-one at Murouj Academy | A group class | |
|---|---|---|
| Attention | The whole lesson is yours, and the teacher hears every letter you recite | Lesson time is shared between several students |
| Pace | Set by you: you move on when you are ready | Set for the group as a whole |
| Curriculum | A personalized plan built around your level and goals | One syllabus for the whole class |
| Schedule | An hour that suits you, in your own time zone | A fixed timetable |
| Teacher | You choose your teacher and can switch at any time | Usually comes with the class |
| Comfort | Women and girls with a female teacher, men with a male teacher, one to one | Depends on how the class is run |
| Murouj Academy's native Arab teachers | Teachers who learned Arabic later | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | The sounds of Arabic, modeled as a first-language speaker says them every day | The sounds of Arabic, learned through study and practice |
| Meaning | Explanations that draw on everyday use of Arabic | Explanations that draw on formal study of Arabic |
| Qualification | Some Murouj teachers hold an ijazah; each profile states it | Varies by teacher and academy |
What do students say?
Students and parents describe their classes in their own words on our student reviews page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn tajweed?
Most learners who already read Arabic can learn the basic tajweed rules in a few months of regular classes, and reciting them fluently across the whole Quran usually takes a year or more. Your pace depends on your reading level, your classes each week and your practice. Your teacher hears you read in the free trial and sets a personal plan.
Can I learn tajweed by myself?
You can learn the rules from books and videos, but tajweed is a spoken skill and someone has to hear you. A teacher catches mistakes you cannot hear yourself, especially in letters that do not exist in English.
Can children learn tajweed online?
Yes. Children usually start tajweed once they can read from the Qaida. Lessons are shorter and more playful, and parents choose the teacher.
Do I need to speak Arabic to learn tajweed?
No. Lessons are explained in English, and you learn to pronounce the Arabic letters correctly whether or not you understand the words yet.
Will a woman or girl have a female tajweed teacher?
Yes. Women and girls at Murouj Academy are always taught by female teachers. Adult men are taught by male teachers, and for children the parent chooses.
Do you give a tajweed certificate?
Ask your teacher in the trial class about a formal credential. Some of our teachers hold an ijazah, a chain-based authorization to teach, and your teacher can explain what studying toward one involves.
Why learn tajweed from a native Arabic speaker?
Tajweed is largely about how the letters sound. A native Arab teacher has spoken these sounds since childhood and models them naturally, which helps you hear the difference between close letters such as ح and ه, or ص and س.
Is the first tajweed class free?
Yes. Your first class is a free trial with your teacher, so you can see how lessons work before you choose a package.
More answers about classes, teachers and the free trial are on our Murouj Academy facts page.
Keep exploring
Free guides
- Rules of Stopping in the Quran: Waqf Signs Chart
- Arabic Alphabet Pronunciation: English Sound Guide
- Tajweed: Why Do We Learn It?
- Quran Tajweed in Arabic: Rules for Beginners
- 10 Manners of Reading the Quran: Etiquette and Respect
- Sunnahs of Reading the Quran (Often Overlooked)
- Tajweed Rules: A Beginner's Guide to What to Learn First
- Makharij al-Huruf: The 17 Articulation Points Explained
- Types of Ijazah: Meaning in Quran and Hadith
- Ijazah in Quran Recitation: How to Get One
Classes for your family
Ready to begin?
Your free trial class is with the teacher you choose. Women and girls always learn with female teachers, and you can switch teacher at any time.