Rajesh Koothrappali

Koothrappali is Wolowitz's best friend and yet another genius. He has a thick Indian accent and, like Wolowitz, a love for Stephen Hawking. He approaches women in the exact opposite way of Wolowitz: he is so shy that he is unable to speak to them. His social anxiety around women seems to be indicative of selective mutism. When Penny speaks to him, he voices a lengthy inner monologue, sometimes reminiscing of his native customs and even singing.


 * Raj owns a 17" MacBook Pro.
 * Raj thinks about someday marrying an Indian woman so she can sing lullabies from his native land to his future children.
 * Raj is considered a passionate lover and a good listener by women (ironically, because he's too shy to speak to them).
 * Raj is 26 years old.
 * Raj is not fond of Indian cuisine, despite being from India.
 * Raj is capable of speaking to women only when he is drunk.
 * Raj's parents are played by Alice Amter and Brian George.
 * In 1x07 there was a mistake: when Penny closes the door and in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment it's both of the latter, Penny, and Raj, he actually speaks with her there. (This gaffe could be explained by the fact that while Raj cannot talk specifically to women, he can still talk with women present as evidenced in the pilot where he tells Wolowitz that his attempt to woo Penny was "Smooth".)