Katakana ロ (ro)
ロ is the katakana character for "ro", pronounced roh, with the same tapped r. It takes 3 strokes. Katakana is the angular Japanese script used for foreign loanwords, names, animal and plant names, sound effects and emphasis. The shape on this page follows the stroke order taught in Japanese schools: strokes run from top to bottom and left to right.
Its hiragana counterpart is ろ. Learning both gives you the same 46 sounds written two ways.
Stroke by stroke
- Start around the middle at the left side. Draw a straight line straight down, ending near the bottom at the left side.
- Lift your pen and start again around the middle at the left side. Curve down and to the right, ending near the bottom at the right side.
- Lift your pen and start again near the bottom at the left side. Draw a straight line across to the right, ending near the bottom at the right side.
Look-alikes and pitfalls
Stroke direction matters more than stroke count in kana. Follow the numbered start dots and the arrows, and keep the pen moving the way the animation shows; the end of a stroke is often a quick flick or a stop, and the difference is what separates look-alike characters.
In a word
ロシア (roshia), Russia
Practice
Trace on screen first: press Trace it above and follow the grey letter. Then print the sheet and write the same letter on paper. Writing on paper is what builds the habit.
More about ロ
ロ is character 43 of 46 in the standard gojuon table, in the r row, which has 5 characters: ラ リ ル レ ロ.
Katakana was developed from parts of kanji, mostly by Buddhist monks as a shorthand for reading notes, which is why the shapes are angular and made of short straight strokes.
Dakuten (two small ticks) and handakuten (a small circle) can be added to many kana to change the sound, for example か becomes が and は becomes ぱ. Those are written as the base character plus the marks.
Questions about katakana ロ
How many strokes is katakana ロ?
3 strokes.
How do you say ロ?
ロ is "ro", pronounced roh, with the same tapped r.
Where do I start ロ?
Start around the middle at the left side. Draw a straight line straight down, ending near the bottom at the left side.
What is the hiragana version of ロ?
ろ. It is read the same way; only the script changes.
When do I use katakana?
Use katakana for foreign loanwords such as ホテル (hotel) and コーヒー (coffee), for names of foreigners, and for emphasis.
Stroke data derived from KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0.