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PRONUNCIATION: BASIC SOUNDS
The L Sound and the R Sound
/l/ and /r/

GOAL

I can make the L sound and the R sound.

TRY IT!

Read the sentence below.

Let’s relax at home today.

SOUNDS

Learn how to pronounce today's sounds.
Sound Profile

/l/

Voicing

yes

Mouth

slightly open

Lips

Teeth

Tongue

the tip of the tongue touching behind the top front teeth ➡ dropped down

Jaw

Steps

  1. Slightly open your mouth.

  2. Press the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth.

  3. Make a voiced sound. At the same time, drop your tongue down.

Katakana Otoshiana

Contrary to popular belief, the way you make the katakana ru (ル) sound is actually closer to how you make the L sound in English, not the R sound in English.

 

lion ➡ raion (ライオン)

let’s ➡ rettsu (レッツ)

like ➡ raiku (ライク)

/r/

Voicing

yes

Mouth

slightly open ➡ open

Lips

pushed forward

Teeth

Tongue

the tip of the tongue raised and curled back + the back of the tongue low

Jaw

Steps

  1. Slightly open your mouth and push your lips forward.

  2. Raise the tip of your tongue and curl it back. Keep the back of your tongue low.

  3. Make a voiced sound. At the same time, open your mouth.

  4. The tip of your tongue should not be touching anything.

Katakana Otoshiana

The way you form the R sound in English is completely different from the way you form the katakana ru (ル) sound. Be careful!

 

red ➡ reddo (レッド)

running ➡ raningu (ラニング)

race ➡ reesu (レース)

Steps

  1. Slightly open your mouth.

  2. Press the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth.

  3. Make a voiced sound. At the same time, drop your tongue down.

Steps

  1. Slightly open your mouth and push your lips forward.

  2. Raise the tip of your tongue and curl it back. Keep the back of your tongue low.

  3. Make a voiced sound. At the same time, open your mouth.

  4. The tip of your tongue should not be touching anything.

Katakana Otoshiana

Contrary to popular belief, the way you make the katakana ru (ル) sound is actually closer to how you make the L sound in English, not the R sound in English.

 

lion ➡ raion (ライオン)

let’s ➡ rettsu (レッツ)

like ➡ raiku (ライク)

Katakana Otoshiana

The way you form the R sound in English is completely different from the way you form the katakana ru (ル) sound. Be careful!

 

red ➡ reddo (レッド)

running ➡ raningu (ラニング)

race ➡ reesu (レース)

WORDS

Practice today’s sounds in the words below.

/l/

lemon

light

leave

a lot

lake

lock

/r/

rainbow

rock

road

red

run

ring

SENTENCES

Practice today’s sounds in the sentences below.

/l/

  1. Lydia likes lemons.
  2. Let’s look at the lion.
  3. Lisa left late.
  4. Linda has the lock.
  5. Look! Lily is on the left side of the lake.

/r/

  1. Rob saw a rainbow.
  2. The rabbit and the rat had a race.
  3. Rose is reading a story about a T-rex robot.
  4. Ryan gave Ruby some roses and a ring.
  5. Romeo wrote Rina’s name on the rock by the road.

/l/ + /r/

  1. Ryan likes rats and lions.
  2. Lily had lemon curry rice and a latte.
  3. Luke gave his rabbit a lot of carrots.
  4. Linda always reads and writes in the living room.
  5. The blue robot has red lights on its left and right legs.

DIALOGUES

Practice today’s sounds in the dialogues below.

/l/

Student:

I want to look for a gift for my classmate, Lucy.
Tutor:

Okay. They have a lot of lovely gifts at the gift shop. What does she like?
Student:

Let me think… Lucy likes sweets.
Tutor:

How about a lemon cake? They’re delicious!
Student:

Nice! I think Lucy would like a lemon cake.

/r/

Student:

Ryan and Rob are going to have a race.
Tutor:

But it’s raining. The road is wet.
Student:

It’s okay. They have raincoats and rain boots.
Tutor:

Can they run in raincoats and rain boots?
Student:

Ryan can run in them, but maybe not Rob.

/l/ + /r/

Student:

Look! It’s raining. Let’s relax at home today.
Tutor:

Okay. I can make us rosemary cake and lattes.
Student:

Oh, I love lattes! Maybe Romeo wants a latte too. Let’s ask him.
Tutor:

Romeo doesn’t like lattes. He likes lemonade and raspberry tea.
Student:

Oh, really? We don’t have any lemons. Let’s make raspberry tea.

TRY IT AGAIN!

Reread the sentence below.

Let’s relax at home today.