Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com

り (ri) – Hiragana


Pronunciation

– Pronounced as the Japanese ‘ri’. This can be a difficult kana to pronounce for new students. There’s no direct word in the English language that has this sound, it’s rather a cross between the English ‘r’ and the English ‘l’. Imagine a sort of soft ‘r’ where your tongue doesn’t roll, then add the Japanese ‘a’ at the end of it – ‘ri’.

About

り, in hiragana, or リ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represent one mora. Both are written with two strokes and originate from the character 利.

Mnemonics

Mnemonic 1: The scythe on the left is being used to reap the corn

Learn Japanese with JapanesePod101.com