Japanese Yoon: How Compound Kana Sounds Work (きゃ, しゅ, にょ…)

What Is Yoon (拗音)?

Yoon (拗音) are compound sounds formed by combining a consonant kana with a small や, ゆ, or よ. The small kana is written at half-size and is pronounced together with the preceding kana in a single beat (one mora).

Example: き + ゃ = きゃ (kya) — said in one quick syllable, not “ki-ya”.

There are 33 standard yoon combinations in hiragana (and the same in katakana). They appear constantly in everyday Japanese words.

Complete Yoon Chart (Hiragana)

Common Words Using Yoon

You probably already know many of these — you just didn’t know they were yoon combinations:

Yoon vs Regular Kana — Don’t Confuse Them

The size of the second kana is crucial. Compare:

• きや — “ki” + “ya” = two separate syllables: ki-ya
• きゃ — yoon, one combined syllable: kya

In handwriting, make the small kana noticeably smaller — about half the height of the preceding character. In digital text, the font handles this automatically.

Katakana Yoon

Katakana uses the same system with small ャ, ュ, ョ:

Practice Exercise

Romanise the following words (identify any yoon):

1. しゅくだい
2. きょねん
3. りゅうがくせい
4. じゅうしょ
5. ちょっと

Answers: 1. shukudai (homework) / 2. kyonen (last year) / 3. ryuugakusei (international student) / 4. juusho (address) / 5. chotto (a little)

Yuka & Rei Master Compound Kana

Learning kana feels abstract until you see how real learners talk about it. Here is Yuka working through the tricky parts — and Rei making the explanations click. Their questions are probably the same ones you have.

Yuka

Rei, I understand yoon now but when I see にゅうがく I want to read it as ni-yu-u-ga-ku. Is that wrong?

Rei

Yes! The small ゅ makes に+ゅ one sound: ‘nyu.’ So にゅうがく is read nyu-u-ga-ku — four syllables, not five. The small size is the crucial signal. Big ユ (yu) is its own syllable; small ゅ fuses with the previous character.

Yuka

How do I type yoon combinations on my keyboard?

Rei

Easy in romaji input — type the full romaji: ‘nyu’ → にゅ, ‘sha’ → しゃ, ‘chi’ → ち, ‘tchi’ → っち. The IME handles all combinations automatically. You never need to type ‘ni’ + ‘small yu’ separately — just type the whole sound as one unit.

5 Practice Examples — Read These Aloud

These examples use the characters from this article in real words. Say each one aloud and try to recall the article’s rules as you read.

1. しゃしん (shashin) — photograph (sha = し + small ゃ)
2. にゅうがく (nyuugaku) — school enrollment
3. びょういん (byouin) — hospital
4. きょねん (kyonen) — last year
5. りょこう (ryokou) — travel

Your Turn! Write Your Own Example in the Comments

The fastest way to remember kana is to write words you already know in Japanese script. Try writing your name, your hometown, or your favourite food using the characters from this article.

Share what you wrote in the comments — other learners will see it, and writing for an audience makes the learning stick twice as fast. Log in to save your comment history and join the Top Commenters ranking!

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