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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

ら (ra) in hiragana

Ra in hiragana is ら. Its second stroke starts with a line down the left, unlike う.

Reading
ra
Type
ra
Katakana
ラ
Strokes
2
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How ら is written, and why it is not う.

The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Not to be confused with
う · uNo line down the left: its second stroke rises to the right.

Memory hook: Picture a handwritten 5 with its top bar floating free: a line down the left, then a big round curve. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write ら: stroke order

Is ら 2 strokes or 3? Two. The line down the left and the round curve are one stroke: pause at the bottom of the line, then turn up into the curve without lifting the pen.

Shape: Tall, like a teardrop: a short mark at the top, a line down the left, and a round curve below that bulges out to the right.

In this model, stroke 1 ends in a hook and stroke 2 sweeps. Japanese schools name three kinds of ending: Stop とめ, Hook はね, Sweep はらい. Textbooks and teachers differ on some.

  1. Stroke 1Hook はね

    Starts well left of the vertical center line, near the top. A short line slanting down to the right, just over the center line; then turn back and flick down to the left, toward the start of stroke 2.

  2. Stroke 2Sweep はらい

    Starts right under the start of stroke 1, above the horizontal center line. A line down the left, leaning slightly left, to well below the middle; pause, turn back sharply, go up to the right into a big round curve that bulges out to the right, and sweep down to the left, ending near the bottom, just left of the vertical center line.

One mistake to avoid: stroke 2

Watch for
The line down the left is too short, so the curve starts near the top and ら looks like う.
Fix
Bring the line down to well below the middle, pause, then turn up into the curve, as in the model.
Done wrong, it can look like う (u).
Practice writingMake a writing sheetSee it on the stroke-order chart

Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.

READ IT

Read ら in print and in words.

ら in handwriting and three typefaces

  • Handwriting model
  • Textbook style
  • Print, plain (gothic)
  • Print, serif (mincho)

In every typeface ら keeps its line down the left before the round curve. Copy the handwriting model.

Find ら inside a word.

  • sakuracherry blossoms; cherry treeUp to the R row
  • osaraplate; dishUp to the R row
  • sayounaragoodbyeThe う makes the o long: said sa-yō-na-ra.Up to the R row
  • hiraganahiragana (this writing system)

“Up to the R row” marks a word written only with kana from the vowels to the R row of the chart, so you can read it if you learn the chart in order.

ひらがな and さようなら are usually written in hiragana; in everyday writing さくら is often 桜, and おさら お皿. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.

Read more words with ら

TELL THEM APART

ら or う?

ら · raThe second stroke runs down the left first, then turns into a round curve.
う · uNo line down the left: its second stroke rises to the right.

Look at how the second stroke starts: ら’s runs down the left, turns sharply and swings into a round curve; う’s rises to the right and curves down the right side, with no line on the left.

Open the guide for u (う)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: is each one ら or う? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

A light tap for r.

Sound: Japanese has one sound where English has r and l: a light tap of the tongue tip just behind the upper teeth, close to the t in American “water”. To English ears it can sound like r, l or d.

Typing: Type ra for ら; la gives a small ぁ instead.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice ら with う.

A short round of ら and う, the shapes this page compares.

Practice ら and うFlip them as flash cards

Practice the whole R row: ら り る れ ろIt includes り, る, れ and ろ, which this page does not teach.

Learn ら with its group in lesson 9 · Try it on the hiragana keyboard

Sources, artwork and review status

Teaching content on this page is a draft: a Japanese educator has not reviewed it yet. Generated pronunciation audio is available in the listening section.

Stroke models and drawings: KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.

Two typefaces are served from this site: Klee One and Noto Serif JP (SIL Open Font License). The gothic sample uses this device’s own font.

Draft teaching content · Japanese educator review pending · Approved generated audio is available in the listening section; romaji is a reading aid, not a pronunciation guide.

minimachi · HIRAGANA CHARACTER CARD

ら · ra

Ra in hiragana is ら. Its second stroke starts with a line down the left, unlike う.

Writing model
1
2

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts well left, near the top; slants down right, then hooks back left. — hook (はね)
  2. Starts under stroke 1; down the left, turn, a round curve, then sweeps. — sweep (はらい)

Watch for: The line down the left is too short, so the curve starts near the top and ら looks like う. Fix: Bring the line down to well below the middle, pause, then turn up into the curve, as in the model.

さくら · sakura · cherry blossoms; cherry treeひらがな · hiragana · hiragana (this writing system)おさら · osara · plate; dish

Trace, copy, then cover the model and write from memory.

Stroke model: KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors · CC BY-SA 3.0 · kanjivg.tagaini.net · license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Draft teaching content; Japanese educator review pending. Generated audio: see full guide.
Full guide and sources: minimachi.com/hiragana/ra/

Listen to the sounds and examples on this page

Generated speech: Google Cloud Text-to-Speech. Checked by a native Japanese speaker. Audio is available only for items with a Listen button. Listen plays at normal speed; Slow gives more listening time at the original pitch. Sound hints are drafts pending educator review.

Kana sounds

  • ら ra

Example words

  • さくら cherry blossom
  • さようなら goodbyeSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like さよーなら. Keep the kana spelling さようなら; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
  • ひらがな hiragana (this writing system)
  • おさら plate; dish