ر (re) is the 12th letter of the Persian alphabet. It is pronounced r, a short tapped r, as in روز (ruz, day).
How to write ر (re)
Persian is written from right to left, and most letters change shape depending on where they sit in a word. These are the four forms of ر:
| On its own | Start of a word | Middle | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| ر | ر | ـر | ـر |
ر is one of the seven Persian letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so the next letter starts a new group, as in برادر.
How to pronounce ر (re)
A short tap of the tongue tip behind the upper teeth, like the quick tt in American English "butter". It is always pronounced, even at the end of a word.
Persian words with ر
| Persian | Pronunciation | English | Where ر is |
|---|---|---|---|
| روز | ruz | day | start |
| رنگ | rang | colour | start |
| راه | râh | road, way | start |
| برادر | barâdar | brother | middle |
| ارزان | arzân | cheap | middle |
| مرغ | morgh | chicken | middle |
| در | dar | door | end |
| شهر | shahr | city | end |
Good to know
- ر never joins the letter after it.
- Always pronounce ر, even at the end of a word: در is dar, never “da”.
- ر and ز have the same shape; ز has one dot above.
Quiz: the letter ر
Check yourself on ر (re): 7 quick questions with instant answers.
1. Which sound does ر (re) make?
2. Which word starts with ر?
3. What does رنگ (rang) mean?
4. Does ر join the letter that comes after it?
5. What is the name of the letter ر?
6. Where is ر in the word برادر (barâdar, brother)?
7. What is the position of ر in the 32-letter Persian alphabet?
Answer key with explanations
- D. r: ر is pronounced r. A short tap of the tongue tip behind the upper teeth, like the quick tt in American English “butter”.
- C. روز (ruz): روز (ruz) means “day” and begins with ر.
- C. colour: رنگ (rang) means “colour”.
- B. No, it never joins the next letter: ر is one of the seven letters that never join the next letter: ا د ذ ر ز ژ و.
- D. re: ر is called re.
- A. In the middle: In برادر, ر comes in the middle, so it uses its middle form.
- C. 12th: ر is the 12th letter: ا ب پ ت ث ج چ ح خ د ذ ر ز ژ س ش ص ض ط ظ ع غ ف ق ک گ ل م ن و ه ی
Common questions
How do you pronounce ر in Persian?
ر (re) is pronounced r. A short tap of the tongue tip behind the upper teeth, like the quick tt in American English “butter”. It is always pronounced, even at the end of a word.
Does ر connect to the next letter?
No. ر is one of the seven letters that never join the letter after it (ا د ذ ر ز ژ و), so it has only two forms.
Is the Persian r rolled?
Usually it is a single quick tap, not a long roll. It can sound slightly trilled at the start of a word or when doubled.
The Farsi alphabet (Farsi: /alefbâye fârsi/ الفبای فارسی) consists 32 letters, most of which have two forms, short and full. In Farsi, words are written from right to left while numbers are written from left to right. Farsi is a writing style based on the Arabic script. It is entirely written cursively. That is, the majority of letters in a word connect to each other. Therefore, the appearance of a letter changes depending on its position: beginning (joined on the left), middle (joined on both sides), end (joined on the right) of a word and some letters are written isolated.
This writing style is also implemented on computers. Whenever the Farsi script is typed, the computer connects the letters to each other.
Following is a table showing the Farsi alphabet and how it is pronounced in English. There are also some examples of how those letters would sound if you place them in a word.
| ح | چ | ج | ث | ت | پ | ب | الف |
| ش | س | ژ | ز | ر | ذ | د | خ |
| ق | ف | غ | ع | ظ | ط | ض | ص |
| ی | ه | و | ن | م | ل | گ | ک |
ر
“ر” /re/ is the twelfth letter of the Persian alphabet and has one format. “ر” only joins to the preceding letters in Persian words. It sounds /re/ like “r” in “red”.
How to write it:
Sample Words:
 |
 |
 |
| آرد | بار | باران |
| Previous< | >Next |
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Get the 14-page printable Starter Pack (all 32 letters, a 7-day reading plan, 100 core words and 20 survival phrases) and a short 5-email course. Free.