リ — katakana “ri”

リ is the katakana character for the sound “ri”. It is written with 2 strokes, and in hiragana the same sound is り.

リ

How to write リ

Follow the numbers on the diagram: each stroke starts at its number. Keep to this order, because that is how your hand remembers the shape.

The Japanese r is one light tap of the tongue, somewhere between r, l and d.

Last updated 1 November 2026