Hiragana "Ri" Coloring Pages

"Ri" is for "Ringo" (Apple)

The character on this coloring page is the Hiragana "Ri".
The word is "ringo" (apple). The picture on the left of the first page shows one round apple with a short stem and one leaf on top.
Apples are fruits that you see in lots of stores from autumn to winter.
It is fun to crunch into a whole one, or cut it into cute rabbit shapes to eat!

Hiragana "Ri" Came from the Kanji Character "利"

Long ago, people wrote the kanji character "利" in a fast, cursive way. Over time, it became the Hiragana "Ri" you use today.
Katakana "リ" also came from the very same kanji character, "利".
You can see that the two straight lines on the right side of "利" are still there in Hiragana "Ri" and Katakana "リ".

Tips for Writing Hiragana "Ri"

You write Hiragana "Ri" with 2 strokes.
For the 1st stroke, draw a straight line down on the left side, and make a quick upward flick at the bottom.
For the 2nd stroke, draw a long line down on the right side, and gently sweep it down to the left.
The trick is to make the left line shorter and the right line longer!
In schoolbooks, the 1st stroke and 2nd stroke do not touch. Be careful not to connect them when you write!

The 2nd Page Has Lots of Words Starting with "Ri"

On the 2nd coloring page, you will find pictures of things that start with "ri" all around a big Hiragana "Ri" in the middle.
There is a squirrel holding an acorn, a cute ribbon, a slow-walking tortoise, and a sweet candy apple like the ones at fun festivals.
You can also see a chef cooking with a frying pan, and kids running a relay race to pass the baton!

Let's Play with Words that Have "Ri"

In the word "ryouri" (cooking), the "ryo" sound is made by putting Hiragana "Ri" together with a small "yo". You read them as one sound!
The "ryu" in "ryuu" (dragon) is also made with Hiragana "Ri" and a small "yu".
Hiragana "Ri" comes at the end of many words, too, like "tori" (bird), "kuri" (chestnut), and "donguri" (acorn).
If you get stuck with "ri" during a word-chain game (Shiritori), think about what you can say!

How to Enjoy the 2 Coloring Pages

On the 1st coloring page, you can color the apple and the big Hiragana "Ri", and practice writing Hiragana "Ri" by tracing it.
On the 2nd coloring page, you can color at your own pace while finding many different "ri" words.
There is an apple on the 2nd page, too! Try coloring it with the same colors you used on the 1st page.

Color the big Hiragana "Ri" in your favorite color

Try coloring inside the outline of the big "り" at the top right with your favorite colors.
To match the apple, make the left line red and the right line green. Then you'll have a Hiragana "Ri" in apple and leaf colors!
Follow the stroke order and color from left to right.

Mix yellow into red for apples

It is best to color the apple red.
If you leave a small white light shape in the middle where it bulges, it will look nice and shiny.
If you mix a little yellow or yellow-green near the bottom and around the stem, it will look more like a real apple.
Color the stem brown and the leaf green.
It is also fun to try making a yellow apple or a green apple.

For the second page, color the animal's fur nice and neat

For the second squirrel, it will look cute if you color it orange-brown and make the stripes on its back dark brown.
For the tortoise's shell, let's color each piece one by one using ocher and brown.
For the candy apple, use bright red and leave some white spots for shiny light to make the candy look glossy!

Trace each Hiragana "Ri" carefully, one by one

In the bottom right boxes, there are 8 light gray "り" characters.
Hold your pencil correctly and trace over the gray lines slowly without going outside the lines.
Using the vertical and horizontal center lines as guideposts helps you keep the letter balanced.
For the hook in stroke 1, jump small toward the starting point of stroke 2.
After you write each Hiragana "Ri", compare it with the big sample Hiragana "Ri".

More Than Half of Apples Come from Aomori

More than half of the apples picked in Japan are grown in Aomori Prefecture.
Apples are a fruit that grows well in places where the summer is not too hot and the winter is cold.
Nagano, Iwate, and Yamagata Prefectures grow a lot of them, too.

An Apple Called "Fuji"

The type of apple grown the most in Japan is the "Fuji" apple.
It was born in Fujisaki Town in Aomori Prefecture. Its name comes from the town's name and Mount Fuji.
Fuji apples are popular because they are sweet and crunchy!

Apple Blossoms Bloom in Spring

Cute white and light pink flowers bloom on apple trees in spring.
After the flowers fall, tiny fruits grow and get bigger and bigger until fall.
It takes about six months to turn into a bright red apple!

Why Cut Apples Turn Brown

If you leave a cut apple out for a while, the cut part turns brown.
This happens because stuff inside the apple changes when it touches air.
If you dip the apple quickly in light salt water, it won't turn brown as easily!