The r row: one tap

Three pairs

Click a cell: A = r row, B = d row.

Minimal pairs in sentences

Two sentences side by side, differing by one sound in the same slot. Tap a card to hear the whole line, tap the highlighted part to hear just that.

1. Aらいねんnext yearらいねん、にほん、へ、いきます。☆

   Bだいがくuniversityだいがく、で、べんきょう、します。☆
2. Aりんごappleりんご、を、たべます。☆

   Bでんしゃtrainでんしゃ、で、いきます。☆
3. Aよるnightよる、は、さむいです。☆

   BどようびSaturdayどようび、は、やすみです。☆

R row against the d row

Both are listed because they are the usual confusion — but this corpus does not separate them acoustically.

How to practise

• Relax the tip and tap once, like a light 'da' without contact.
• Contrast ら and だ: one is a tap, the other a stop.

The method boundary (important)

This page does not claim VOT separates ら from だ: ら 7 ms vs だ 16 ms looks split, but り 1 vs で 0 and る 2 vs ど 1 do not. Word-initial stops are easily pre-voiced, so VOT is not a stable criterion here.