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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

り (ri) in hiragana

Ri in hiragana is り. Its long stroke is on the right and curves left; in い, it is on the left.

Reading
ri
Type
ri
Katakana
リ
Strokes
2
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How り is written, and why it is not い.

The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Not to be confused with
い · iIts left stroke is the long one; the right one is short.

Memory hook: Picture two reeds side by side, the right one much longer and curving left at the bottom. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write り: stroke order

Is り 1 stroke or 2? Two, when you write it. Some printed fonts, and some quick handwriting, join the two parts; learn the two-stroke form first.

Shape: Tall and narrow: a short left stroke with a flick, and a long right stroke that curves left at the bottom, the two facing each other across the center line.

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 left of the vertical center line, high up. Nearly straight down, bowing slightly to the left, to below the middle; then a short flick up to the right, toward the top of stroke 2.

  2. Stroke 2Sweep はらい

    Starts right of the vertical center line, near the top, a little higher than stroke 1 (models differ on this). Straight down well past the middle, then curve to the left, ending near the bottom just right of the center line, far below the foot of stroke 1.

One mistake to avoid: strokes 1 and 2

Watch for
Stroke 2 ends about level with the foot of stroke 1, so り looks like い.
Fix
Take stroke 2 well below the foot of stroke 1, and curve it left only near the bottom, as in the model.
Done wrong, it can look like い (i).
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 り in print and in words.

り in handwriting and three typefaces

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

Some printed fonts join り’s two strokes; the long right stroke still curves left at the bottom. Copy the handwriting model, in two strokes.

Find り inside a word.

  • toribird; chicken (meat)Up to the R row
  • moriforestUp to the R row
  • kusurimedicineUp to the R row
  • hidarileft

“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.

In everyday writing these words usually use kanji (とり is 鳥, もり 森, くすり 薬, ひだり 左); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.

Read more words with り

TELL THEM APART

り or い?

り · riThe right stroke is much longer, and curves left at the bottom.
い · iIts left stroke is the long one; the right one is short.

Both end the left stroke with a flick, so compare the lengths: in り the right stroke is much longer, reaching far below the left one, and the gap between them is narrow; in い the left stroke is longer, the right one is short, and the gap is wide. Where print joins り’s two strokes, the long right stroke still tells it apart.

Open the guide for i (い)

A quick check

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

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice り with い.

A short round of り and い, the shapes this page compares.

Practice り and いFlip them as flash cards

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

Learn り 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

り · ri

Ri in hiragana is り. Its long stroke is on the right and curves left; in い, it is on the left.

Writing model
1
2

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts left of center, high up; down, then a short flick up right. — hook (はね)
  2. Starts right of center, near the top; straight down, then curves left. — sweep (はらい)

Watch for: Stroke 2 ends about level with the foot of stroke 1, so り looks like い. Fix: Take stroke 2 well below the foot of stroke 1, and curve it left only near the bottom, as in the model.

とり · tori · bird; chicken (meat)もり · mori · forestくすり · kusuri · medicine

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/ri/

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

  • り ri

Example words

  • くすり medicine
  • もり forest
  • ひだり left
  • とり bird; chicken (meat)