HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
れ (re) in hiragana
Re in hiragana is れ. Its second stroke ends turning out to the right, unlike ね and わ.
- Reading
- re
- Type
re- Katakana
- レ
- Strokes
- 2
- Audio
- see listening section
On this page
How れ is written, and why it is not ね or わ.
The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture someone resting against a post with one leg stretched out to the right. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write れ: stroke order
Shape: About square: a long line on the left, and on the right a part that drops straight down and turns out to the right.
In this model, stroke 1 stops and stroke 2 sweeps. Japanese schools name three kinds of ending: Ending: Stop とめ, Ending: Hook はね, Ending: Sweep はらい. Textbooks and teachers differ on some.
Stroke 1Ending: Stop とめ
Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top. One long line straight down, staying left of the center line; end it with no hook, as in the model.
Stroke 2Ending: Sweep はらい
Starts far left, above the horizontal center line. A short line up to the right through stroke 1, a sharp turn back down-left through it again, then a long straight climb through it a third time; turn over a narrow top, come straight down, and turn out to the right only at the very end.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 2
- Watch for
- The right-hand part is written as one round curl, with no straight drop.
- Fix
- Turn at the top, come straight down, and turn out to the right only at the very end.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read れ in print and in words.
れ in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In every typeface the second stroke of れ ends turning out to the right, with no loop. Copy the handwriting model.
Find れ inside a word.
- これkorethis (one). Up to the R row
- はれharesunny weather. Up to the R row
- うれしいureshiihappy; glad. Up to the R row
- れいぞうこreizoukorefrigeratorThe う makes the o long: said rei-zō-ko.
“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.
これ is usually written in hiragana; in everyday writing はれ is 晴れ, れいぞうこ 冷蔵庫, and うれしい is often 嬉しい. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.
TELL THEM APART
れ, ね or わ?
Look at where the second stroke ends: れ turns out to the right, ね finishes in a small loop, and わ curls back in.
Open the guide for ne (ね)Open the guide for wa (わ)
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: れ, ね or わ? Only your first answer to each model counts. The models are pictures; each one is described in words after you answer.
This check changed in another tab. It now shows your latest answers.
Which reading matches this model?
Check finished.
A short practice with pictures of the shapes. It does not test pronunciation, listening or long-term recall.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice れ with ね and わ.
A short round of れ, ね and わ, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole R row: ら り る れ ろIt includes ら, り, る and ろ, which this page does not teach.
Learn れ 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.
- Japan Foundation: MARUGOTO-NO-KOTOBA vocabulary (readings and meanings)
- Jisho.org (JMdict): readings and common spellings
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): れ
- z-shogei calligraphy school: れ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: れ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: れ
- Japanese-Lesson.com: ら り る れ ろ
- ryohkei.com: れ
- Nara University of Education booklet (2023): textbook forms differ
- Japan Foundation’s Irodori kana materials (spelling reference)
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
れ · re
Re in hiragana is れ. Its second stroke ends turning out to the right, unlike ね and わ.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts left of center, near the top; one long line straight down. — stop (とめ)
- Starts far left; through stroke 1, back, up, straight down, then out right. — sweep (はらい)
Watch for: The right-hand part is written as one round curl, with no straight drop. Fix: Turn at the top, come straight down, and turn out to the right only at the very end.
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/re/
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
- れ re
Example words
- これ this
- うれしい happy; glad
- れいぞうこ refrigeratorSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like れーぞーこ. Keep the kana spelling れいぞうこ; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
- はれ sunny weather