Rieul (ㄹ) – Korean Consonant 리을
ㄹ (Rieul, 리을) is an r sound at the start of a syllable and an l sound at the end. See 라면 and 레몬 as examples, trace ㄹ in 3 strokes, print the ㄹ worksheet.
What is Rieul (ㄹ) in Korean?
Rieul (ㄹ) is called 리을 in Korean and is an r sound at the start of a syllable and an l sound at the end. Write ㄹ in 3 strokes; the sound is made with the tip of the tongue, and it counts as one of the 14 basic consonants. You can hear it in 라면 (instant noodles) and 레몬 (lemon), and see it closing a syllable in 달 (moon).
Rieul ㄹ: sound, strokes, series and finals
ㄹ RieulKorean consonant · basic
Rieul is r at the start of a syllable and l at the end.
Rieul (ㄹ) at a glance
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | 리을 (rieul) |
| Sound at the start | r — a quick touch of the tongue tip |
| Sound at the end | l (unreleased) |
| Strokes | 3 |
| Group | basic consonant |
| Made with | the tip of the tongue |
| Example words | at the start: 라면 (instant noodles), 라디오 (radio); at the end: 쌀 (rice), 슬리퍼 (slippers) |
Three ways to remember ㄹ
Shape
Words that start with 
Words with ㄹ at the end
How to say ㄹ
리을Between vowels and at the start of a word, flick the tongue tip once against the ridge behind the upper teeth, like the quick tt in American 'water'. At the end of a syllable, keep the tongue on the ridge and let the sound flow around its sides, like English l.
Before a vowel ㄹ is romanized r, as in 라면 (ramyeon). As a 받침 it is l, as in 물 (mul, water), and a double ㄹㄹ across two syllables is ll, as in 빨리 (ppalli, quickly).
How ㄹ ends a syllable
In 달 (moon) the tongue tip stays on the ridge behind the teeth and the sound rings out as an l. Before a vowel it turns back into the quick r of the start of a syllable: 달이 is read [다리].
A final ㄹ (rieul) keeps its own letter in the sound, so spelling and speech agree here; the only change is that the release is held back.
How to write ㄹ
Trace Rieul ㄹ with a finger, mouse or pen: start at the numbered dot, follow the dotted arrow, and press Clear to try again.
Print style 정자체
Follow the numbers and dotted arrows
Handwriting 필기체
Same stroke order as print style
Draw a line to the right and turn down, like ㄱ, in the upper part.
From the left, draw the middle line to the right so it meets the bottom of the first stroke.
Start at the left end of the middle line, go down, then turn and draw the bottom line to the right.
The whole letter ㄹ (rieul) is three strokes; start high and on the left, as with every Hangul letter.
Few native Korean words start with ㄹ; the common beginner words that do are loanwords such as 라면, 레몬 and 로션. Practice the flap inside words first: 나라 (country), 머리 (head).
ㄹ and its look-alikes
| Letter | Name | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| ㄴ | 니은 (nieun) | n, as in nose |
| ㄹ | 리을 (rieul) | r, liquid |
The same letter gives two sounds: 라 (ra) with a flap and 알 (al, egg) with a held l. In 빨리 the two ㄹ sounds join into one long l.
English speakers often use the English r with the tongue curled back, which sounds foreign in 라면. Keep the tongue flat and just tap the ridge once.
Why ㄹ looks the way it does
ㄹ stands for the sound made by lightly touching the tongue tip to the upper gum and letting go. In Hunminjeongeum it is one of the letters with a special shape rather than one made by adding strokes.
ㄹ (rieul) sits in the group that uses the tip of the tongue, since the inventors of Hangul sorted consonants by where the sound is made.
Words that use ㄹ
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 리본 | ri-bon | ribbon (noun) |
| 라일락 | ra-il-lak | lilac (noun) |
| 라켓 | ra-ket | racket (noun) |
| 파인애플 | pa-in-ae-peul | pineapple (noun) |
| 달 | dal | moon (noun) |
| 말 | mal | horse (noun) |
| 물 | mul | water (noun) |
In 라면 (instant noodles), ㄹ (rieul) is the first sound of the first block 라, which is read ra.
In 레몬 (lemon), ㄹ (rieul) is the first sound of the first block 레, which is read re.
In 리본 (ribbon), ㄹ (rieul) is the first sound of the first block 리, which is read ri.
In 로봇 (robot), ㄹ (rieul) is the first sound of the first block 로, which is read ro.
In 라디오 (radio), ㄹ (rieul) is the first sound of the first block 라, which is read ra.
Syllables you can build with ㄹ
Pair ㄹ (rieul) with the vowels and you get blocks such as 라 (ra), 랴 (rya), 러 (reo), and 려 (ryeo).
The ten blocks 라 (ra), 랴 (rya), 러 (reo), 려 (ryeo), 로 (ro), 료 (ryo), 루 (ru), 류 (ryu), 르 (reu), 리 (ri) are worth reading in one breath.
Try it yourself
Pick a vowel and a final for ㄹ and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㄹ ready
ㄹ writing worksheet (free printable)
Worksheet · Level 1 · Letters
Korean letter tracing worksheet: ㄹ (rieul)
The one-page Rieul ㄹ sheet shows ㄹ in 3 strokes, traces it, writes it with six vowels (라 러 로 루 르 리) and ends with a game of finding ㄹ among look-alikes.
- 1 page
- A4 · US Letter
- PDF · 111 KB
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Want more? Get all 19 consonants in one pack
Worksheet information
- How to use
- Say ㄹ out loud, trace its 3 strokes, then write it with six vowels.
Practice ㄹ
Try it yourself
Put Rieul ㄹ, r, into the builder and read the block it makes. Open the syllable builder with ㄹ ready
ㄹ (Rieul) — FAQ
What is the ㄹ pronunciation?
The ㄹ pronunciation is an r sound at the start of a syllable and an l sound at the end. The sound in 라면 (instant noodles) is the one to copy first.
What is ㄹ called in Korean and what sound does it make?
Its name is 리을 (rieul), and the sound is an r sound at the start of a syllable and an l sound at the end; try 라면 and 달.
Is ㄹ r or l?
ㄹ (rieul) is both: r before a vowel (라 = ra) and l at the end of a syllable (물 = mul) or when doubled (빨리 = ppalli).
How many strokes make up ㄹ?
ㄹ has 3 strokes: a ㄱ shape on top, a middle line, then an ㄴ shape at the bottom.
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