| Voiced retroflex approximant | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ɻ | |||
| IPA number | 152 | ||
| Audio sample | |||
| Encoding | |||
| Entity(decimal) | ɻ | ||
| Unicode(hex) | U+027B | ||
| X-SAMPA | r\` | ||
| Braille | |||
| |||
Avoiced retroflex approximant is a type ofconsonant used in somelanguages. The symbol in theInternational Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is ⟨ɻ⟩, a turned lowercase letterr with a rightward hook protruding from the lower right of the letter.
Thevelar bunched approximant found in some varieties ofDutch andAmerican English are identical to a retroflex approximant in sound but has a very different articulation.

Features of the voiced retroflex approximant:
| Family | Language | Word | IPA | Meaning | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinitic | Chinese | Mandarin | 肉ròu | [ɻ̺oʊ̯˥˩] | 'meat' | Apical.[1] Can be transcribed as fricative[ʐ]. SeeStandard Chinese phonology |
| Nungish | Derung | Tvrung | [tə˧˩ɻuŋ˥˧] | 'Derung' | ||
| Germanic | English | SomeAmerican dialects | red | [ɻ(ʷ)ɛd] | 'red' | Labialized (pronounced with lips rounded). SeePronunciation of English /r/ |
| SomeHiberno-English dialects | ||||||
| SomeWest Country English | ||||||
| Arnhem | Enindhilyagwa | angwura | [aŋwuɻa] | 'fire' | ||
| Germanic | Faroese[2] | hoyrdi | [hɔiɻʈɛ] | 'heard' | Allophone of/ɹ/.[2] Sometimes voiceless[ɻ̊].[2] SeeFaroese phonology | |
| Hellenic | Greek | Cretan (Sfakia andMylopotamos variations) region[3] | γάλαgála | [ˈɣaɻa] | 'milk' | Intervocalic allophone of/l/ before/a,o,u/. Recessive. SeeModern Greek phonology |
| Eskimo-Aleut | Inuktitut | Nattilingmiutut | kiuřuq | /kiuɻuq/ | 'she replies' | |
| Dravidian | Malayalam | ആഴം/āḻam | [aːɻɐm] | 'depth' | ||
| Mapudungun | Mapuche[4] | rayen | [ɻɜˈjën] | 'flower' | Possible realization of/ʐ/; may be[ʐ] or[ɭ] instead.[4] | |
| Romance | Portuguese | ManyCentro-Sul registers | cartas | [ˈkaɻtə̥̆s] | 'letters' | Allophone of rhotic consonants (and sometimes/l/) in thesyllable coda. Mainly[5] found in ruralSão Paulo,Paraná, south ofMinas Gerais and surrounding areas, with the more common andprestigious realization in metropolitan areas being[ɹ] and/orrhotic vowel instead. As with[ɽ], it appeared as a mutation of[ɾ].[6][7][8] SeePortuguese phonology. |
| Caipira | temporal | [tẽɪ̯̃pʊˈɾaɻ] | 'rainstorm' | |||
| ConservativePiracicabano | grato | [ˈgɻatʊ̥] | 'thankful' (m.) | |||
| Dravidian | Tamil[9] | தமிழ்/Tamiḻ | [t̪əˈmɨɻ]ⓘ | 'Tamil' | SeeTamil phonology. May be merged with[ɭ] for some modern speakers. | |
| Pama-Nyungan | Western Desert | Pitjantjatjara dialect | Uluṟu | [ʊlʊɻʊ] | 'Uluru' | |
| Isolate | Yaghan | wárho | [ˈwaɻo] | 'cave' | ||