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Kotomora

瑠

lapis lazuli

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes14

Readings

On'yomi

  • ル
  • リュウ

Kun'yomi

—

Nanori

  • るり

Meaning

瑠 centers on the deep blue gemstone lapis lazuli. It is used almost exclusively in the compound 瑠璃 (るり) for lapis lazuli or a glassy blue glaze.

Most common words using 瑠

20 of 28
  • 瑠璃るり

    lapis lazuli

  • 浄瑠璃じょうるり

    jōruri; type of dramatic recitation accompanied by a shamisen (associated with Japanese puppet theater)

  • 人形浄瑠璃にんぎょうじょうるり

    Japanese puppet theatre in which recited narrative and dialog is accompanied by a shamisen (forerunner of bunraku)

  • 吠瑠璃べいるり

    beryl

  • 大瑠璃おおるり

    blue-and-white flycatcher (Cyanoptila cyanomelana)

  • 小瑠璃こるり

    Siberian blue robin (Luscinia cyane)

  • 山瑠璃草やまるりそう

    Omphalodes japonica (species of flowering plant related to borage)

  • 操り浄瑠璃あやつりじょうるり

    Japanese puppet theatre

  • 浄瑠璃語りじょうるりかたり

    jōruri reciter

  • 瑠璃も玻璃も照らせば光るるりもはりもてらせばひかる

    cream rises to the top; great talent will stand out anywhere; lapis lazuli and crystals shine when lit up

  • 瑠璃も玻璃も照らせば分かるるりもはりもてらせばわかる

    cream rises to the top; great talent will stand out anywhere; you realize what things are lapis lazuli and crystal when they are lit up

  • 瑠璃オーストラリア虫食いるりオーストラリアむしくい

    superb blue-wren (Malurus cyaneus); superb fairywren; blue wren

  • 瑠璃唐草るりからくさ

    nemophila (Nemophila menziesii); baby blue-eyes

  • 瑠璃懸巣るりかけす

    Lidth's jay (Garrulus lidthi)

  • 瑠璃木葉鳥るりこのはどり

    Asian fairy bluebird (Irena puella)

  • 瑠璃瓦るりがわら

    blue-glazed roof tile

  • 瑠璃立羽るりたては

    blue admiral (species of nymphalid butterfly, Kaniska canace)

  • 瑠璃繁縷るりはこべ

    scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis)

  • 瑠璃羽太るりはた

    gold-ribbon grouper (species of fish, Aulacocephalus temmincki)

  • 瑠璃色るりいろ

    lapis lazuli blue; bright blue; azure

Explore all words using 瑠 →

Study

Etymology

瑠 is a phono-semantic compound: the jewel radical 王 (玉) gives the meaning of a precious stone, while 留 provides the sound ル. The character was created specifically for the word 瑠璃 (lapis lazuli).

Meaning mnemonic

The jewel radical 王 (jewel) beside 留 suggests a precious stone with a ル sound. Picture a king (王) holding a deep blue lapis lazuli stone that stays (留) in his treasury forever.

Reading mnemonic

For ル, imagine a room (ルーム) filled with lapis lazuli treasures: room -> ル, and the jewel radical 王 marks it as a precious stone.