Rajesh Koothrappali

Rajesh Koothrappali
The Big Bang Theory character
Kunal Nayyar as Raj Koothrappali
First appearance	"Pilot"
Created by	Chuck Lorre Bill Prady
Portrayed by	Kunal Nayyar
Information
Full name	Rajesh Ramayan Koothrappali
Nickname(s)	Raj Brown Dynamite
Gender	Male
Occupation	Astrophysicist
Title	Doctor
Family	Dr. V.M. Koothrappali (father) Mrs. Koothrappali (mother) Priya Koothrappali (younger sister) 3 unnamed brothers 1 unnamed sister
Significant other(s)	Emily Sweeney
Relatives	Sanjay (cousin) Venkatesh (cousin) Unnamed uncle Dileep (grandfather)
Religion	Hinduism
Nationality	Indian

Rajesh Ramayan "Raj" Koothrappali,Ph.D. is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by British Indian actor Kunal Nayyar. Raj is based on a computer programmer that the show's co-creator, Bill Prady, knew back when he himself was a programmer.

Raj is Howard Wolowitz's (Simon Helberg) best friend, with whom Raj shares what Nayyar calls a "bromance", although the relationship is frequently made awkward by Raj's metrosexuality. Raj works as an astrophysicist in the Physics Department at Caltech. He had selective mutism, which did not allow him to talk to women outside of his family unless he was under the influence of alcohol (or medication), until the season 6 finale. Along with Howard, Sheldon Cooper, and Leonard Hofstadter, Raj is one of the four characters to appear in every episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Rajesh, who is normally called Raj or just by his surname Koothrappali, is from New Delhi, India. He despises Indian food, and his lack of knowledge about Indian culture and Hinduism are often rebuked by Sheldon. He was born into a wealthy family and has five siblings, one of whom is Priya, a former on-off girlfriend of Leonard. Raj is normally seen wearing a layered combination of a shirt and sweater vest, khakis or cargo pants with skate shoes and a track top-style windbreaker in either fleece or nylon. Raj wore a red cap in the pilot episode, but has not worn any headgear on a regular basis for the rest of the series' run.