Hiragana "Rya" Coloring Pages

The "Rya" in "Torya!"

The character on this coloring page is the Hiragana "Rya".
The word is "Torya". It is a energetic shout you make when you move with all your might.
"Torya" does not start with "Rya". It is a word with "Rya" in the middle.
In the picture on the left, a child wearing a karate suit is doing a powerful kick with a shout of "Torya!".
Stretching their leg straight out looks so cool!

Two letters for one sound

You write Hiragana "Rya" by combining two letters: "り" and a small "ゃ".
You write two letters, but you do not read them as "ri" and "ya" separately. You say them together as one sound.
A sound like this is called a contracted sound.
If you use a big "や" and write "りや", it becomes two sounds and can mean a completely different word.
Having a small letter or not changes the sound!

How Hiragana "Rya" came to be

Hiragana characters were created long ago when people simplified Kanji.
"Ri" was born from simplifying the Kanji "利".
The small "ya" is just a normal "ya" written smaller, and "ya" comes from simplifying the Kanji "也".
Kanji from a long, long time ago changed over many years to become the easy shapes we use today!

Tips for writing

"Rya" is written in 2 strokes for "Ri".
The 1st stroke is the short line on the left. Draw down, then jump up a little to the top right.
The 2nd stroke is the long line on the right. Draw from top to bottom, and sweep to the bottom left at the end.
The small "ya" has 3 strokes, just like the regular "ya". When writing sideways, put it small in the bottom left of the box. When writing top-to-bottom, put it small in the top right.
Make Hiragana "Rya" big and "ya" small so you can easily see the difference in size!

Words with Hiragana "Rya"

There are not many words that start with "rya," but there is a word called "ryaku" (abbreviation), which means to make something shorter.
Also, other words with "rya" in them include shout-outs like "Torya—!" and "Sorya—!", which are a lot like "Eiya!".
When you shout "Torya—!" together when you exercise or play tug-of-war, you feel full of power!
Try finding different shout-outs and compare them by saying them out loud.

Color the big Hiragana "Rya" with bright colors

Try coloring inside the big Hiragana "Rya" on the top right with your favorite colors.
We recommend using bright and happy colors like red or orange, just like a strong cheer!
It is also fun to use different colors for "り" and "ゃ", or change the color for each stroke order line.

Keep the karate uniform white, and add color to the belt

If you leave the karate uniform white, it will look like a real uniform.
If you add just a little bit of light gray or light blue to the wrinkles and folds, the clothes will look soft and real.
Pick your favorite color for the waist belt, like white, yellow, orange, green, brown, or black.
Karate belt colors are different depending on the dojo, but the color often changes as you practice more and more.
For the skin, use light peach, and put light pink on the cheeks to make a happy face.

Trace the letters with a pencil

In the box on the bottom right, four light gray Hiragana "Rya" are lined up.
Hold your pencil correctly and trace over the gray lines slowly so you do not go outside the lines.
Use the vertical and horizontal center lines in the box as a guide to easily see the size and place for the letter.
Be careful to write the small "ゃ" small in the bottom left of the box.
Each time you trace one set, say "rya" out loud.
Once you trace all four sets, try writing it by yourself outside the box too.

Karate was born in Okinawa

Karate is a martial art that was born and grew up in old Okinawa.
Now, people all over the world practice it.
Karate was an official sport at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

The shout is called "Kiai"

In martial arts like Karate, people sometimes make a big shout when they do a move.
This is called "Kiai."
Shouting loudly helps you put power into your body and makes your mind feel sharp and ready.

"Empty" "Hand"

In Japanese, Karate is written with the characters for "Empty" and "Hand."
It got this name because it is a martial art where you fight using only your hands and feet without holding any weapons.
In Karate, it is important to bow politely before and after you start a move.

"Kata" and "Kumite"

There are two types of Karate matches: "Kata" and "Kumite."
"Kata" is a match where one person does a set order of moves, and judges look at how correct and powerful they are.
"Kumite" is a match where two people face each other and try their moves on one another.