How to Pronounce the Japanese R Sound: ら り る れ ろ

Your first Japanese words are full of r sounds. You learn ありがとう for “thank you”:

Then これ, “this,” and ラーメン, “ramen”:

The short answer

Romaji writes all three with r, but the Japanese sound in ら (ra), り (ri), る (ru), れ (re), and ろ (ro) is not quite the same as a typical English r.

For a useful beginner approximation, make one quick tongue contact just behind your upper front teeth, then move immediately into the vowel. That gives you ら (ra), り (ri), る (ru), れ (re), and ろ (ro).

The important beginner habit is simple: do not hold or curl the Japanese r like an English r.

Start with ら (ra)

Say the English word red. Notice what your tongue does for the r. Depending on your English accent, it may curl or bunch without making a quick contact behind your upper teeth.

Now try ら (ra). Instead of holding an English-style r, let the tip of your tongue make a very brief contact just behind your upper front teeth and immediately release into あ (a).

Think: quick contact + a. Not: rrrrra. Try it on its own first:

Try it several times and keep the movement short.

The whole ら row

The same basic tongue movement appears across this hiragana row. Read them slowly, then reverse them. You are changing the vowel while keeping the initial tongue movement brief.

1. らりるれろra ri ru re rothe full ra row, read slowly
2. ろれるりらro re ru ri rathe ra row in reverse

Reading the row backwards stops you from running on autopilot, so each sound gets the same short contact.

Why English speakers often find it difficult

Romaji uses r, so it is natural to begin with the English sound you already know. But romaji is only a reading aid. It does not mean that every Japanese sound represented by r is pronounced exactly like an English r.

An English-style r can often be sustained before releasing into the vowel. Japanese ら (ra) is brief: the tongue movement should not try to sustain a long r sound. When you see ら (ra), do not let the letter r trick you into exaggerating an English pronunciation.

Is the Japanese r actually an English l?

No. You may hear people describe the Japanese sound as being “between r and l.” That can be a useful warning that it does not match the English r, but it is not an instruction to pronounce every Japanese r as an English l.

For ラーメン (raamen), do not deliberately turn it into “laamen.” Practise the quick tongue contact on ラ (ra), then add the long vowel ラー (raa), then the full word.

The goal is the Japanese sound itself, not replacing English r with English l.

Try it in real words

Start with これ (kore). Break it into こ (ko) + れ (re), then put them together while keeping れ light and brief.

Next, ありがとう (arigatou). Break the beginning into あ (a) + り (ri). Do not pause on the r as a-rrrrri-gatou. Move quickly through り (ri): a-ri-ga-tou.

Practise all five sounds in words

Each word below puts one of the five sounds to work. Say it slowly, find the r sound, and keep that contact brief.

ら (ra)

り (ri)

る (ru)

れ (re)

ろ (ro)

Your goal is not speed yet. First make the tongue movement short and controlled.

Listen for the kana, not the English letter

When you hear くるま (kuruma), a beginner relying heavily on English spelling may listen for a strong English r. Instead, train yourself to connect the sound directly to る (ru). Likewise, これ (kore) contains れ (re), and とり (tori) contains り (ri).

As you learn kana, try to build a direct connection: り → ri, rather than り → English letter R → English r sound. That will make romaji less influential over your pronunciation.

Common mistakes

Holding the r too long

Do not say “ko-rrrrre” for これ (kore). The tongue movement should be brief. Alternate れ (re) and これ (kore). If you can hear a long, growling, or strongly sustained r, shorten it.

Replacing every r with an English l

Knowing that Japanese r differs from English r does not mean ら = English “la,” り = “lee,” る = “loo,” れ = “leh,” or ろ = “low.” Those substitutions simply replace one English sound with another. Focus on one quick tongue contact followed by the vowel.

Trying to roll every r

You do not need a long rolled rrrr for ordinary beginner words such as これ, とり, くるま, or ありがとう. For now, keep the contact quick rather than repeatedly striking or vibrating the tongue.

Practise the Japanese r

Read aloud

Read each line slowly, then read the words again without looking at the romaji. Pay attention whenever your tongue reaches ら, り, る, れ, or ろ.

Contrast practice

Say two versions of これ (kore). First, deliberately use a long English-style r: ko-rrrrre. Now shorten the tongue movement: ko-re. The second version is the better beginner target.

Try the same with とり (tori): exaggerate to-rrrrri, then shorten to to-ri. Finally with くるま (kuruma): avoid ku-rrrru-ma; aim for ku-ru-ma. You are training the movement, not imitating an English spelling.

Quick recognition check

Answer each question, then check yourself against the answer below it.

1. Which kana is ri?

• A. ら
• B. り
• C. れ

Answer: B. り (ri)

2. Which kana is ro?

• A. ろ
• B. る
• C. ら

Answer: A. ろ (ro)

3. Which word contains る (ru)?

• A. これ (kore)
• B. くるま (kuruma)
• C. とり (tori)

Answer: B. くるま (kuruma)

4. Which is the better beginner pronunciation strategy for ら (ra)?

• A. Hold a strong English r before saying a
• B. Replace r with an English l
• C. Make a quick tongue contact and move into a

Answer: C. A quick contact followed by the vowel is the beginner target this lesson has practised throughout.

Your next speaking drill

Say the row three times, then immediately say から, とり, くるま, これ, and しろ. Finish with ありがとう。 Do not chase a perfect accent. Listen for one concrete thing: is your tongue movement brief, or are you holding an English-style r?

Once you can control that difference, words containing ら, り, る, れ, and ろ become much easier to practise consistently.

Keep this in mind

Romaji writes these sounds with r, but ら, り, る, れ and ろ are made with one quick tongue contact just behind the upper front teeth, followed straight away by the vowel. Do not hold or curl it like an English r, do not swap it for an English l, and do not roll it. Keep the contact brief and connect the sound to the kana, not to the English letter.

Continue learning

If you are still building direct kana recognition, review Japanese Alphabets Explained: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji.

Another important pronunciation contrast is timing. Learn it with Japanese Long Vowels: Why おばさん and おばあさん Sound Different.

Then practise consonant timing with Small っ in Japanese: How to Pronounce Words Like きって.