Recognise や ゆ よ in Hiragana, then read them in useful words and sentences. Each kana has a sound; the table links the written form to its reading.

The idea

や ゆ よ are ya, yu and yo. The modern basic y row has no separate yi or ye kana. In やま (yama), ゆき (yuki) and よる (yoru), each full-sized kana is a separate beat. Some words are written in kana here for practice; everyday Japanese often writes them with kanji.

Patterns to compare
KanaReading (romaji)
やya
ゆyu
よyo

Examples

  • やまに行いきます。I go to the mountain.
  • ゆきが降ふります。It is snowing.
  • よるに読よみます。I read at night.
  • やさいを買かいます。I buy vegetables.
  • ゆめを見みます。I dream.
  • よていがあります。I have plans.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

A full-sized ゆ is yu on its own; small ゅ combines with a preceding kana, as in きゅ (kyu). Size changes the reading.

Try it yourself

  1. Fill the blank with one Hiragana character: ＿ま (yama).

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    や

    や represents ya; やま is read yama.

  2. Fill the blank with one Hiragana character: ＿き (yuki).

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    ゆ

    ゆ represents yu; ゆき is read yuki.

  3. Fill the blank with one Hiragana character: ＿る (yoru).

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    よ

    よ represents yo; よる is read yoru.

  4. Write yasai in Hiragana.

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    やさい

    やさい is read yasai: や = ya; さ = sa; い = i.

Use it today

Cover the table and read two example sentences aloud. Write one word from memory, then check each target kana against the table.