The Japanese r: ら り る れ ろ

The idea

ら, り, る, れ and ろ begin with a brief tongue movement near the ridge behind the upper teeth. The sound varies by speaker and context.

Examples

• らいねん行いきます。I will go next year.
• りんごを買かいます。I buy an apple.
• くるまを見みます。I look at a car.
• れいぞうこを開あけます。I open the refrigerator.
• ろうかを歩あるきます。I walk down the corridor.
• これは桜さくらです。This is a cherry tree.

Watch out

Avoid a sustained rolled r; a light, quick contact is a useful starting point. Do not assume it is identical to English r or l.

Try it yourself

1. Fill the blank with one Hiragana character: ＿いねん (rainen).

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   ら

   ら represents ra; らいねん is read rainen.

2. Fill the blank with one Hiragana character: ＿んご (ringo).

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   り

   り represents ri; りんご is read ringo.

3. Fill the blank with one Hiragana character: く＿ま (kuruma).

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   る

   る represents ru; くるま is read kuruma.

Use it today

Cover the table and read two example sentences aloud. Write one word from memory, then check each target kana against the table. For sound practice, use Japan Foundation recording 01-30 linked in Sources.