Tanween Fath (تَنْوِين الْفَتْح) in Arabic

Doubled fatha — adds an "-an" sound to the end of an indefinite noun.

Last updated: May 2026

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بًا

Tanween Fathtanwīn al-fatḥ

"-an" — a short "a" followed by an "n" sound.

Position
above
Family
tanween
Unicode
U+064B
Keyboard
Shift + R

What does Tanween Fath mean?

Tanween fath is one of the three "nunation" marks in Arabic. It looks like a doubled fatha and is written at the end of indefinite singular nouns in the accusative case. The mark produces an "-an" sound that essentially adds an unwritten "n" to the end of the word.

Tanween fath is almost always written on the second-to-last letter, and an alif (ا) is added after it as a "support" letter (e.g. كِتَابًا, not كِتَابً). Common in adverbs like شُكْرًا "thanks" and جِدًّا "very". This is the most-used of the three tanween marks.

How to type Tanween Fath on Arabic keyboard

Shortcut on Arabic 101: Shift + R

Typing order: type the base letter first, then hold Shift and press the diacritic key. Most Arabic input requires this letter-then-diacritic sequence — typing the diacritic first will produce nothing or a disconnected mark.

Example: to type بًا, press the base letter key, then Shift + R.

Example words with Tanween Fath

كِتَابًا
kitāban
"a book" (indefinite accusative)
شُكْرًا
shukran
"thanks / thank you"
جِدًّا
jiddan
"very" (with shadda + tanween fath)
مَرْحَبًا
marḥaban
"hello / welcome"

Practice typing Tanween Fath

Knowing the shortcut is one thing — building the muscle memory is another. Our diacritics drills weave fatha, kasra, damma, shadda, sukun, and the tanween marks into real words and full sentences.

Frequently asked questions

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How do I type tanween fath on the Arabic keyboard?

On the Arabic 101 keyboard layout, hold Shift and press R. Type the base letter first, then Shift+R to add tanween fath. Don't forget to add a final alif (ا) after most words: مَرْحَبًا = م + ر + ح + ب + Shift+R + ا.

Why is an alif written after tanween fath?

The alif is a "support" letter for the tanween fath mark — it has no sound of its own and is purely orthographic convention. There are a few exceptions: words ending in ة (ta marbuta) or hamza on alif do not need the extra alif (e.g. مَدْرَسَةً, not مَدْرَسَتًا).

When is tanween fath used grammatically?

Tanween fath marks an indefinite noun in the accusative case. The most common contexts are: direct objects (رَأَيْتُ كِتَابًا "I saw a book"), adverbs (شُكْرًا "thanks"), and certain time/manner expressions. In spoken Arabic the case endings are often dropped, but adverbs like شُكْرًا and مَرْحَبًا keep their tanween in everyday speech.

Or see the full Arabic diacritics guide.

Tanween Fath (تَنْوِين الْفَتْح) in Arabic: Meaning, Sound, and How to Type | Arabic Typing 101