Rā’s vs Ra’s: A Brief Discussion and it’s Two Major Pronunciations

Greetings DCEA folks, Artist here. So for what ever reason, I’ve kind of been sitting on this topic. I am a fan of Ra’s, and anyone who has some familiarity with the character knows that how to pronounce his name is a common debate/discussion. So I thought I would talk about his name, how it changed, and what that means as far as how to pronounce it.

Now there is a video that does talk about this, which I always refer back to, so I will link that since I’m basically explaining it in a simpiler form (and minus the nonEnglish spling in Arabic vs Hebrew).

I know this isn’t a new topic, but I thought it’d be fun to talk about the history of Ra’s al Ghul’s name.

Where Did the Pronunciation Issue Begin?

Pronunciation became key when Ra’s would be making an appearance in visual media. Specifically Batman the Animated Series. That and the fact that people weren’t entirely sure how to pronounce it on paper.

Rā’s al Ghūl (Raas)

So this was how it was originally spelt when Ra’s was first introduced. The name itself is Arabic and roughly translated to “the Head of the Demon”, which we all know Ra’s is referred to as on occasion. This is were we get the Raas pronunciation. This was used in Arrow (on and off with the other pronunciation) and I think Batman Begins.

Ra’s al Ghul (Raysh)

PicsArt

Roughly 15 min

Main Color: Green

This version was made popular by the Batman Animated Series. And the macron (ā) was removed from the a in Ra’s and the u in Ghul (not that it really effected Ghul in either case) in subsequent comics and media. Minus Arkham City, where the used the Rā’s al Ghūl with the Raysh pronunciation. Now Raysh comes from the Hebrew word Roosh, or so this video mentions. It means the same as Rā’s and the first part of Roosh (how it’s spelt in Hebrew) plays into that well.

Is There a Definitive Pronunciation?

PicsArt

15 minutes

Main Colors: Black and Green

Short Answer: Not really.

Long Answer: It’s really up to you how you want to pronounce it since there really isn’t a set pronunciation. Obviously, I’m not going to dictate how anyone should say it, since there is no “Right” way. Heck, I personally say both, while maybe leaning towards Raas. My guess though as far as writers and/or people in charge of the shows, it seems like Raysh is a go to pronunciation because of BtaS, Brave and the Bold, and the Arkham games. So far (to my knowledge) the only movie that seems to use the Rā’s (Raas) pronunciation consistently is the Batman vs TMNT movie (I can’t recall what they used in Under the Red Hood at the moment).

How to Pronounce Ra’s al Ghul video

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