Ru (kana)


Ru is one of the Japanese kana, each of which represent one mora. The hiragana is written in one stroke; the katakana in two. Both represent the sound. The Ainu language uses a small katakana ㇽ to represent a final r sound after an u sound. The combination of an R-column kana letter with handakuten ゜- る゚ in hiragana, and ル゚ in katakana was introduced to represent in the early 20th century.
FormRōmajiHiraganaKatakana
Normal r-
ruるル
Normal r-
ruu, rwu
rū		るう, るぅ
るー		ルウ, ルゥ
ルー

Other additional forms---

Stroke order

The hiragana for ru is made with one stroke, and its katakana form is made with two.
る begins with a horizontal stroke to the right, followed by a slightly longer, angular stroke going down and to the left. Finally, a curve and loop are added to the bottom that somewhat resembles the hiragana no. The character as a whole is visually similar to the hiragana for ro.
ル is made by first making a curved stroke going down and to the left, and is followed by a stroke that first goes straight down, and then a curved line going up and to the right.

Other communicative representations