HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
る (ru) in hiragana
Ru in hiragana is る: one stroke that ends in a small loop at the bottom, unlike ろ.
- Reading
- ru
- Type
ru- Katakana
- ル
- Strokes
- 1
- Audio
- see listening section
On this page
How る is written, and why it is not ろ.
The full model: one stroke.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture a root that bends sharply at the top, curves around to the right and curls into a small loop at the bottom. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write る: stroke order
Is the small loop a separate stroke? No. る is one stroke: pause for a moment at each sharp turn and, if you like, where the curve has come round to the lower left, then write the loop without lifting the pen.
Shape: Taller than wide, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom: a short top line and a long diagonal, like a 7, over a big curve that ends in a small loop.
In this model, the stroke stops. 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.
One strokeEnding: Stop とめ
One continuous stroke. Starts left of the vertical center line, near the top. A short line rising gently to the right, across the center line; turn back sharply and come down to the left in a long, straight diagonal, to below the horizontal center line and further left than you began. Turn sharply again, going back up the diagonal a little, then up to the right into a big curve; come round along the bottom and curl into a small loop on the vertical center line. End it inside the loop, close to the curve but not across it, as in the model.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 1
- Watch for
- The curve comes round along the bottom and ends there, open, with no small loop.
- Fix
- After the curve comes round the bottom, curl back up into a small loop on the vertical center line, ending inside it, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read る in print and in words.
る in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In every typeface る ends in a small loop at the bottom. Copy the handwriting model.
Find る inside a word.
- よるyorunight; evening. Up to the R row
- ねるneruto sleep; to go to bedThis is the form a dictionary lists; many verbs end in る in it. The polite form is ねます (nemasu).. Up to the R row
- あかるいakaruibright. Up to the R row
- みそしるmisoshirumiso soup. Up to the R row
“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 use kanji (よる is 夜, ねる 寝る, あかるい 明るい, and みそしる みそ汁 or 味噌汁); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.
TELL THEM APART
る or ろ?
Look at where the stroke ends: る curls into a small loop at the bottom, and ろ sweeps away to the lower left with no loop. Up to the second sharp turn, the two are written the same way.
A quick check
Four models, two by hand and two in print: る or ろ? 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.
SOUND AND SPELLING
Saying and typing る.
Sound: る is ru: the light tap for r that the guide for ら explains, then u.
Typing: Type ru for る; lu gives a small ぅ instead.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice る with ろ.
A short round of る and ろ, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole R row: ら り る れ ろIt includes ら, り and れ, which this page does not teach.
Learn る 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): る
- z-shogei calligraphy school: る, れ and ろ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: る
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: る
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: る, two pen styles
- Japanese-Lesson.com: ら り る れ ろ
- ryohkei.com: る
- Nara University of Education booklet (2023): る’s loop differs between textbooks
- Benesse Education Information: hiragana children often misread (る and ろ)
- Print Kids (ぷりんときっず): look-alike hiragana worksheets (ろ and る)
- Tofugu: Learn Hiragana (る and ろ, and the loop)
- Apple: Japanese input, romaji and kana (lu gives ぅ, lo gives ぉ)
- Mozc (open-source Google Japanese Input): romaji table
- 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
る · ru
Ru in hiragana is る: one stroke that ends in a small loop at the bottom, unlike ろ.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts left, near the top; across, long diagonal, big curve, small loop. — stop (とめ)
Watch for: The curve comes round along the bottom and ends there, open, with no small loop. Fix: After the curve comes round the bottom, curl back up into a small loop on the vertical center line, ending inside it, as in the model.
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/ru/
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
- る ru
Example words
- みそしる miso soup
- ねる to sleep; to go to bed
- あかるい bright
- よる night