ryo / りょ
The last RY combined kana — り plus a small ょ becomes 'ryo'. The workhorse of the group — anchors travel, cooking, parents, and the Japanese inn.
Pronunciation
The compound character りょ represents the syllable 'ryo', formed by combining り (ri) with a small ょ. It is pronounced as a single syllable 'ryo'.
りょ is り (ri) plus a small ょ (yo). Together they make a single syllable /ryo/. It's one of the most-used yōon in everyday Japanese: 旅行 (ryokou, "travel / trip"), 料理 (ryouri, "cooking / cuisine"), 両親 (ryoushin, "parents"), 寮 (ryou, "dormitory"), 旅館 (ryokan, the traditional Japanese inn), 材料 (zairyou, "ingredients / materials"), 漁師 (ryoushi, "fisherman"), 領収書 (ryoushuusho, "receipt"). Apply the soft R-row tap and slide directly into /yo/.
How to write りょ
Trace りょ on the canvas at the top of the page. Animated arrows show each stroke's direction; trace along them and the stroke fills in. Each numbered step below explains what that stroke does.
Write り exactly: two parallel curving strokes.
Write a small ょ next to り. Stroke 3 is a short horizontal at the upper middle (of the small character); stroke 4 is the looping body. Keep ょ at roughly half the height of り.
Origin
りょ is the written combination of り (from 利, ri) and a small よ (from 与, yo). It's the densest of the RY trio — dominating Sino-Japanese vocabulary about travel, cooking, parents, and quantity (料 "materials", 量 "quantity", 旅 "travel").
Common words starting with りょ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing りょ by hand — the top row shows the stroke order to trace, then fill the blank squares.
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