rya / リャ
The first RY combined kana — リ plus a small ャ becomes “rya,” one syllable. Rare; its clearest loanword is リャマ (llama).
Pronunciation
The compound character リャ represents the syllable 'rya'. Very rare in modern katakana — appears in a few imported animal names.
リャ is リ (ri) plus a small ャ, read as one syllable, “rya,” using the soft Japanese r (a light tap). It's uncommon in loanwords — リャマ (llama) is the clearest example — and appears in some transliterated names. The combining rule is the same as every other set.
How to write リャ
Trace リャ 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 リ exactly: a short vertical on the left, then a longer stroke on the right descending and curving in at the bottom.
Write a small ャ tucked into the lower right at about half height — a miniature ヤ (a hooking stroke, then a vertical).
Origin
Katakana リャ combines リ — from the right side of the kanji 利 (ri) — with a small ャ (reduced ヤ, from 也). Together they spell a single “rya” sound.
Common words starting with リャ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing リャ by hand — the top row shows the stroke order to trace, then fill the blank squares.
Lock it into memory
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