رع
riʕ/raʕ/
The phrase ra refers to the name of the ancient Egyptian sun god in Arabic.
The word رع is used to refer specifically to the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is riʕ and the IPA is /raʕ/.
Did you know?
- While رع refers to the god, the Arabic word for 'sun', شمس, is grammatically feminine, creating a gender contrast between the celestial object and its ancient deity.
- The Arabic word رع is a phonetic borrowing from the ancient Egyptian term r:a-ra, which served as both a proper name and a general term for 'the sun'.
- The Arabic word رع ends with the letter ع, a sound produced deep in the throat that does not exist in English.
Examples in context
- رمضان مباركHappy Ramadan
- أحب الرياضةI love sports
- اقرأ كتاباًRead a book
- رع هو إله الشمس.Ra huwa ilah al-shams.Ra is the sun god.
- هل قرأت عن رع؟Hal qara'ta 'an Ra?Have you read about Ra?
- رسم الفنان رمز رع.Rasama al-fannan ramz Ra.The artist drew the symbol of Ra.
Example conversation
Ahmed and Layla are discussing a history lesson in school.
- أحمد Ahmedيا ليلى، هل تعرفين من هو رع؟Ya Layla, hal ta'rifina man huwa Ra?Layla, do you know who Ra is?
- ليلى Laylaنعم، رع هو إله الشمس القديم.Na'am, Ra huwa ilah ash-shams al-qadim.Yes, Ra is the ancient sun god.
- أحمد Ahmedهل كان أهم إله في مصر؟Hal kana ahamm ilah fi Misr?Was he the most important god in Egypt?
- ليلى Laylaأعتقد أنه كان من أهمهم.A'taqidu annahu kana min ahammihim.I think he was one of the most important.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry رع, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries رع, CC BY-SA 4.0.
