ر raa: the Arabic letter raa
raa (ر) is the tenth letter of the Arabic alphabet. It makes the sound r: a rolled r. It never joins to the letter after it.
The shapes of raa
Arabic letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. Arabic is read right to left.
raa with vowel marks
What are fatha, kasra and damma?
Words that start with raa


Letters that look like raa
These share a shape with ر and differ in their dots or a small detail. Children often mix them up, so it helps to learn them side by side.
Questions about raa
How do you pronounce the Arabic letter raa?
raa (ر) is the tenth letter of the Arabic alphabet. Its name is said "raa". It makes the sound r: a rolled r.
How do you write raa in Arabic?
On its own raa is written ر. It is one of the six letters that never join to the letter after them, so it only has two shapes: on its own or at the start ر, and joined at the end ر.
What is an Arabic word that starts with raa?
رِيشَة (reesha) means "feather" and starts with raa. Others are رِجْل (rijl, leg).
How does raa sound with vowel marks?
With a fatha it says ra (رَ), with a kasra ri (رِ) and with a damma ru (رُ).
Practise raa with Hudhud
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