ryo / リョ
The last RY combined kana — リ plus a small ョ becomes “ryo,” one syllable. Rare in loanwords; common in Japanese words like 料理 (ryōri, cooking).
Pronunciation
The compound character リョ represents the syllable 'ryo'. Rare in modern katakana — most 'ryo' sounds appear in native Japanese words written in hiragana or kanji.
リョ is リ (ri) plus a small ョ, read as one syllable, “ryo.” In katakana loanwords it's rare, but the sound itself is everyday in Japanese — think 料理 (ryōri, “cooking”) or 旅行 (ryokō, “travel”), normally written in kanji. The combining rule is unchanged.
How to write リョ
Trace リョ 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 ョ tucked into the lower right at about half height — a miniature ヨ (a top-and-right stroke, a middle bar, then a bottom bar).
Origin
Katakana リョ combines リ — from the right side of the kanji 利 (ri) — with a small ョ (reduced ヨ, from 與). Together they spell a single “ryo” sound.
Common words starting with リョ
Printable practice sheet
Print this worksheet to practice writing リョ by hand — the top row shows the stroke order to trace, then fill the blank squares.
Lock it into memory
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