Arabic Small High Madda

It marks madd, or vowel lengthening, in Quranic recitation.

Quranic recitation notation developed in layers: red-dot vowel marks were standard from the early eighth through the late tenth or eleventh century; a surviving handwritten Quran from the late eighth or ninth century shows tiny, letter-shaped vowel marks. These are examples of ways small signs added reading cues to written text.

Where does the mark sit in Quranic notation?

It appears beside a word as part of a Quranic mark stack.

Arabic writing often leaves short vowels unmarked. Small signs in a Quran add cues for recitation while leaving the word's basic spelling in place. This mark is commonly stacked with a small waw or small yeh in lengthening notation. A Unicode proposal illustrates such a stack in a Tehran Quran printed around 1986.

Why can ۤ float or show a dotted circle?

This combining mark needs its base, neighboring signs, and a compatible font.

Entered by itself, it may float or appear with a dotted circle. As of 2026, Unicode's Arabic-rendering guidance notes that Microsoft Windows may insert dotted circles for Quranic stacks it treats as invalid. Use the full sequence required by your Quran edition and inspect it in an Arabic or Quranic font.