How to write り (ri) in hiragana
り (ri) has no voiced form. It grew out of the cursive form of the kanji 利 (“profit”). Its two strokes begin at the top left, heading downwards then upwards, and the last one finishes at the bottom. Words that start with it include 理事 (“director”), 理由 (“reason”), 領土 (“territory”) and 両国 (“both countries”).
- Romaji
- ri
- Strokes
- 2
- From
- 利
- Katakana
- リ
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- top leftdownwards → upwards
- topdownwards → down and left
Where り comes from
- Hiragana
- 利, cursive of the whole kanji
- Katakana
- リ from 利
Here both scripts start from the same kanji, 利 (“profit”).
Look-alikes
- い, 2 strokes
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Combined sounds
- りゃ rya
- りゅ ryu
- りょ ryo
Words with り
1,436 common JMdict words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 理事 | りじ riji | director; trustee |
| 理由 | りゆう riyuu | reason; grounds |
| 領土 | りょうど ryoudo | territory; domain |
| 両国 | りょうこく ryoukoku | both countries; Ryōgoku (area of Tokyo) |
| 利 | り ri | advantage; benefit |
| 理 | り ri | reason; principle |
| 利益 | りえき rieki | profit; gains |
| 理解 | りかい rikai | understanding; comprehension |
| 利用 | りよう riyou | use; utilization |
| 臨時 | りんじ rinji | temporary; provisional |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Hiragana, in chart order: