Azla (Kadma v'Azla)
Azla is a Hebrew cantillation mark whose meaning depends on tradition: in Sephardi usage "Azla" is the name for the conjunctive accent that Ashkenazim call Kadma (Qadma), a connecting note that joins its word to the word that follows. In the familiar Ashkenazi pair-name "Kadma v'Azla," the Kadma is that conjunctive and the "Azla" element is actually the Geresh, a low-level disjunctive, so the two are chanted together as a single melodic phrase.
אַזְלָא
Conjunctive (connecting) accentWhat it does in the verse
As a conjunctive (mesharet) accent, Kadma/Azla does not create a pause. It binds its word to the following word so the two are read together without a break. In the common "Kadma v'Azla" sequence the conjunctive Kadma leads directly into the disjunctive Geresh, so the phrase flows forward as a connected unit rather than dividing the verse. (When that second mark stands on its own, not following a Kadma, it is called "Azla Geresh" or simply Geresh.)
What the symbol looks like
TropeTrainer displays the Kadma/Qadma glyph, Unicode U+05A8 (ב֨), an angled stroke placed above the word on the accented (stressed) syllable. It leans forward, matching the meaning of Qadma ("to advance / go forward"). The mark looks identical to Pashta but is positioned differently: Kadma (U+05A8) sits on the accented syllable, while Pashta (U+0599) is post-positive, placed on the word's final letter. In the Kadma-v'Azla pairing the two symbols are sometimes described as resembling the curved fingers of an outstretched hand.
Good to know
The word "Azla" means "going away," while "Qadma" means to progress or advance (from the root associated with "front" and "east"), and the symbol leans forward to match. The term "Azla" is genuinely ambiguous across traditions, which is what makes it tricky: Sephardim use "azla" for what Ashkenazim call qadma (and, in the same naming swap, use "qadma" for what Ashkenazim call pashta), while in the Ashkenazi pair-name "Kadma v'Azla" the "Azla" is really the Geresh. There is also a separate, rarer accent called Azla Legarmeh (Qadma Legarmeh), a minor disjunctive shaped like a Qadma but made distinct by a following pesiq; it belongs to the special cantillation system of the three poetic books (Psalms, Proverbs, and Job) rather than the prose Torah reading. The Kadma-v'Azla pair is common in the Torah, reported at 1,733 occurrences, and the Geresh standing alone ("Azla Geresh") at 1,112; these figures come from Wikipedia rather than a Masoretic concordance and should be treated as approximate.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Azla (Kadma v'Azla) trope?
It is a Hebrew cantillation accent. In Sephardi tradition "Azla" names the conjunctive mark Ashkenazim call Kadma (Qadma). In the Ashkenazi pair "Kadma v'Azla," the conjunctive Kadma joins with a following Geresh (the "Azla" element, a low-level disjunctive) and the two are chanted together as one melodic phrase. TropeTrainer lets you hear Azla (Kadma v'Azla) chanted and practice the readings it appears in.
What does Azla (Kadma v'Azla) mean?
"Azla" means "going away" and "Qadma" means to advance or go forward, and the Kadma symbol leans forward to match. As a conjunctive accent it connects its word to the next, while in the "Kadma v'Azla" pair the conjunctive Kadma leads into the disjunctive Geresh.
Is Azla (Kadma v'Azla) a pause?
The Kadma/Azla itself is a conjunctive (connecting) accent, so on its own it does not create a pause; it binds its word to the word that follows. In the "Kadma v'Azla" pair, the pause comes from the Geresh (a low-level disjunctive) that follows the conjunctive Kadma, not from the Kadma itself.
How do you tell Azla (Kadma) apart from Pashta?
They use the same glyph, but placement differs: Kadma (U+05A8) sits above the accented, stressed syllable, while Pashta (U+0599) is post-positive and placed on the word's last letter. TropeTrainer shows the glyph in context and lets you hear Azla (Kadma v'Azla) chanted so you can practice spotting and singing it.
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