Glossary · glossary · 1 min read
Radif
रदीफ़; ردیف; the refrain
Radif is a word or phrase repeated at set line endings in a ghazal, poetry built from self-contained pairs of lines. It ends both lines of the opening pair and the second line of every later pair, becoming a musical refrain when sung.
By SJN, Founder, BeatRootRaga · Reviewed by BRR · Last reviewed 27 Sept 2026
What does radif mean?
Radif is a word or phrase repeated at set line endings in a ghazal. A ghazal is poetry built from self-contained couplets, or pairs of lines, joined by rhyme and a shared pattern of line length and rhythm.
The radif ends both lines of the first couplet. After that, it appears at the end of the second line of every couplet.
Just before the radif comes the qafia, the rhyme. Together they shape the ghazal’s sound pattern. When sung, the radif becomes a musical refrain, words that return in the song.
Some ghazals have no radif and rely on qafia alone. For the full explanation, visit BeatRootRaga’s ghazal structure learning page.
An example of radif and where to read more
Listen for the same words returning at the ends of lines in a sung ghazal, poetry built from self-contained pairs of lines. Those returning words are the radif, the repeated word or phrase that becomes a musical refrain.
To connect this listening cue with the whole form, read BeatRootRaga’s What is a ghazal? Structure explained with two BeatRootRaga originals. The full explanation of radif is there, beyond this short example of returning words.
Keep going
- What is a ghazal? Structure explained with two BeatRootRaga originals · A ghazal is poetry built from self-contained couplets, or pairs of lines, joined by rhyme and a shared pattern of line length and rhythm. When sung, a returning melody connects the couplets, while repeated lines, melodic changes and pauses give listeners time to hear the meaning.