Ruka's Profile
- Full Name: Kawai Ruka
- Native Name: 河井瑠花
- Nicknames: Little Jennie, 루카
- Birthday: March 20, 2002 (22 years old)
- Blood type: B
- Height/Weight: 164 cm (5’5”) / Undisclosed
- Gender: Female
- Zodiac Sign: Pisces
- Debut: November 27, 2023
- Position: Main Dancer, Rapper
- MBTI: ISTJ (The Logistician)
- Birthplace: Tokyo, Japan
-
Nationality:
Japanese
- Profession: Singer, Rapper, Dancer
- Languages: Japanese, Korean
- Current Agency: YG Entertainment
- Group: BABYMONSTER
Ruka, full name Kawai Ruka, is a Japanese artist born in 2002. She is the eldest member of the K-pop girl group BABYMONSTER under YG Entertainment, holding the positions of main rapper and dancer.
Early Life
Born in Osaka and raised in Tokyo, Japan, Ruka started learning dance during elementary school. From 2017 to 2018, she was active under the stage name Ruka as a member of the J-pop girl group Shibu3 Project. After leaving the group to pursue her dream of becoming a K-pop idol, she joined YG Entertainment as a trainee.
Career Highlights
Ruka entered Avex Artist Academy in Japan at the age of 10. She was part of the Japanese Girl Crush (JGC) project group from 2017 to 2018, performing mainly at in-house events and Avex training programs.
In 2018, at the age of 16, Ruka passed YG Entertainment’s audition in Japan and officially became a trainee. Her five-year training period in South Korea helped her build skills in rap, dance, and language proficiency.
In March 2023, Ruka appeared on YG’s public trainee evaluation program “Last Evaluation,” a survival project to determine the debut lineup for BABYMONSTER. She performed a self-choreographed solo stage to Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” The performance was uploaded on YG Entertainment’s official YouTube channel and received positive feedback from fans in Korea, Japan, and internationally.
During her trainee years, Ruka was highly praised for her hip-hop dance skills by renowned instructors such as Lee Jung. Many of the rap stages Ruka performed featured self-written Korean lyrics, notably her cover of “Peaches” by Justin Bieber during monthly evaluations in 2022. On February 5, 2023, YG Entertainment officially announced Ruka as the final member of BABYMONSTER.
On April 1, 2024, Ruka debuted with BABYMONSTER through their single album BABYMONS7ER, with the title track “SHEESH.” In this promotion, Ruka delivered the Japanese rap intro and took the center position during the final dance break of the performance.
Challenges
During “Last Evaluation,” Ruka faced criticism for her Korean pronunciation while rapping, particularly after the “Rap Battle” stage in February 2023. Comments from Korean netizens urged her to improve her diction to better fit the K-pop market.
Throughout her six-year trainee period, Ruka frequently faced the risk of being cut from the debut lineup due to consistently low rankings in internal evaluations. She was often critiqued for being weaker in vocals compared to other members, which led her to consider giving up. In 2022, she dedicated an entire year to focusing on vocal basics and refining her Korean pronunciation.
Strengths
With over 15 years of hip-hop dance experience prior to debuting in K-pop, Ruka began training in dance at age six. Her hip-hop foundation is well-structured, demonstrated through techniques such as popping and krumping, positioning her as BABYMONSTER’s street dance representative, according to YG Entertainment. Besides her dance strengths, Ruka raps fluently in both Japanese and Korean, characterized by dense flows and frequent rhythm switches.
In addition to her native Japanese, Ruka is proficient in Korean and English. In behind-the-scenes content released by YG, she often takes the role of briefly translating for non-native members during interviews in Japan.
Fashion
Ruka frequently showcases a streetwear aesthetic that blends Japanese Harajuku style with Korean casual hip-hop. On stage, she often wears crop tops paired with cargo pants or joggers, accessorized with chunky sneakers and chain belts.
Off stage, Ruka favors oversized items such as hoodies, bomber jackets, and bucket hats, with a color palette of neutrals or signature neon accents. She appeared in the June 2024 issue of Nylon Japan magazine in a photoshoot themed “Tokyo Underground,” dressed in a full set from Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (BAPE).
Fun Facts
- Ruka has dimples on both cheeks that fans instantly recognize.
- She regularly practices pilates to stay fit and flexible.
- Drinking milk every morning is part of her daily routine.
- Her favorite movie since childhood is Titanic, and she never gets tired of it.
- She loves Sanrio’s Pochacco and owns tons of cute merchandise.
- Spicy Mala hotpot and ice cream are her go-to comfort foods.
- If she weren’t an idol, she’d want to be a fashion designer.
- She once won a “Know Your Members Best” challenge, showing how well she understands her group.
- Her favorite BABYMONSTER song is Forever, and she also enjoys Double Take by Dhruv.
- Her favorite song of 2024 is Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars.
- She gets startled easily, and the members often joke that she panics the most.
- Fans say she has a unique stage presence and “it factor”, especially after her self-written Peaches performance in 2022.
Photo Gallery
