Letter 10 of 29
Ra
Transliterated “r”
ر
Its four forms
An Arabic letter changes shape depending on where it sits in a word. All four are the same letter.
- Isolated
- ر
- Initial
- رـ
- Medial
- ـر
- Final
- ـر
Where it comes from
Tip of the tongue against the gum ridge
Heavy or light depending on its vowel. One tap, never rolled repeatedly.
More on this articulation point →Qualities
- Tawassut
- Jahr
- Inhiraf
- Takrir
Joining: Does not join to the letter that follows — one of the six non-joiners.
Common mistakes
- Rolling it like a Spanish "rr"
- Applying one weight to every occurrence
In the Quran
- 1:1الرَّحْمَٰنِHeavy ra with shaddah