Alphabet · Alifbeetada · Consonants

R

R

ra (rolled) · A single r is a quick tap; a double rr is a full roll.
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The sound

R is rolled or tapped with the tip of the tongue, as in Spanish or Italian, never the soft English r. A doubled rr, as in qorrax (sun), is held longer and rolled more strongly.

Example words

Roobrain
Rahfrog
Qorraxsun

Teaching the letter R

Say the letter with a short a after it, "ra", the way Somali children chant the alphabet, then say each example word slowly and let your child find the letter in it. Somali spelling is completely regular, so once a child knows the sound of R they can read it in any word.

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