How to write リ (ri) in katakana
リ (ri) never takes the voicing marks. Its shape keeps a part of the kanji 利 (“profit”). It takes two short strokes: the first from the top left going downwards, the last ending at the bottom. Loanwords that begin with it: リア (“rear”), リス (“fracture”), リセ (“lycée”) and リピ (“repeat”).
- Romaji
- ri
- Strokes
- 2
- From
- 利
- Hiragana
- り
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- top leftdownwards
- top rightdownwards → down and left
Where リ comes from
- Katakana
- 利, a part of the kanji
- Hiragana
- り from 利
Here both scripts start from the same kanji, 利 (“profit”).
Look-alikes
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Combined sounds
- リャ rya
- リュ ryu
- リョ ryo
Words with リ
584 common JMdict katakana words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| リア | ria | rear |
| リス | risu | fracture; lithograph |
| リセ | rise | lycée |
| リピ | ripi | repeat; repeating |
| リブ | ribu | rib (cut of meat); rib |
| リマ | rima | Lima (Peru) |
| リム | rimu | rim |
| リラ | rira | lilac (Syringa vulgaris) |
| リアル | riaru | real; realistic |
| リスク | risuku | risk |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
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Katakana, in chart order: