Ra
رAbout the Arabic Letter ر Ra
Ra is a Sun Letter, and it shares a basic shape with Zay.
Ra is sort of like the counterpart of the English letter R, but it is closer to the rolling Spanish Rr.
Ra is only connectable to the letter before (the letter to the right).
Look-alikes
Ra ( ر ) and Zay ( ز ) are twins or shape-mates. They also look a bit like a letter called Wow ( و ).
How to Write the Arabic Letter ر Ra
Most Arabic letters change shape depending on where they appear in a word. Ra only connects to the right, so its isolated and initial forms look the same.
Example Arabic Words with ر Ra (tap to hear)
ر Ra with Tashkeel
Arabic vowels are written as small marks above or below the letter. Tap to hear Ra with each short vowel.
Fatha (a)
Short "a" sound
Damma (u)
Short "u" sound
Kasra (i)
Short "i" sound
Ra is a Sun Letter
Ra is a sun letterSun letters absorb the ل in ال (al-) — the letter's own sound doubles instead. (حرف شمسي). When the definite article ال (al-) comes before Ra, the ل assimilates and is not pronounced separately — the Ra sound doubles instead. For example, ال + ر... is pronounced as ar-r...
Key Takeaways: Arabic Letter Ra
- • Ra is written ر and sounds like /r/
- • ArabicQuick mnemonic: think of a Rocking chair to remember its shape
- • It is a sun letter and only connects to the right
- • It has four forms: isolated, initial, medial, and final