Letter 35 of 35
Ya-Row · Semi-vowelੜ — Rarra
A retroflex, flapped 'r' — tongue curled back and tapped. Rare at word starts.
Why it matters: ੜ is a single flap of the tongue against the roof of the mouth — like the soft 'tt' in 'butter'. The trickiest sound for English speakers.
ੜ with each vowel mark
ੜ
mukta
"rra"
ੜਾ
kanna
"rraa"
ੜਿ
sihari
"rri"
ੜੀ
bihari
"rree"
ੜੁ
aunkar
"rru"
ੜੂ
dulainkar
"rroo"
ੜੇ
lanv
"rray"
ੜੈ
dulanvan
"rrai"
ੜੋ
horha
"rro"
ੜੌ
kanaurha
"rrau"
Each vowel mark changes how ੜ sounds. The mark stays the same across every consonant.
Other letters in the Ya-Row
Trace ੜ
Free Printable Tracing Worksheet
Practise writing ੜ (Rarra) with this free printable. Large reference letter at the top, dotted rows below — print at home on US Letter or A4.
ੜ (Rarra retroflex) is the thirty-fifth and final letter of the Gurmukhi alphabet. It’s a unique retroflex flap — the tongue curls back and quickly taps the roof of the mouth. ੜ rarely starts words; you’ll usually meet it in the middle, like ਪੇੜਾ (peda — sweet) or ਘੋੜਾ (ghoda — horse, which uses the regular ਰ inside but is often confused with ੜ).
How to teach a 4-year-old
The job for ੜ is recognition, not spelling. Show your child how ੜ looks like ਰ with a dot underneath — same family, different sound. Saying “ghoda” or “peda” and pointing to the ੜ inside is enough at this age.
Practice ੜ (Rarra)
📖 Read about Rarra in context
See ੜ alongside the rest of the Ya-Row in the free alphabet teaching guide. Open the guide →
Practise Rarra on the go
Six interactive Gurmukhi games — tracing, recognition, memory match — free, offline, no ads.