Yoon (拗音) are combination sounds formed by pairing an i-row character with the small versions of や, ゆ, or よ. These create sounds like “kya,” “sha,” “cha” — essential for reading everyday Japanese.
How Yoon Works
Take any character from the i-row (き, し, ち, に, ひ, み, り, ぎ, じ, び, ぴ) and add a small や, ゆ, or よ after it. The combination is pronounced as a single syllable.
Key rule: The small や ゆ よ (ゃ ゅ ょ) must be written SMALL. A regular-size や changes the meaning entirely.
| Combination | Sound | Example word |
|---|---|---|
| きゃ | kya | きゃく (kyaku, guest/customer) |
| きゅ | kyu | きゅう (kyuu, nine / urgent) |
| きょ | kyo | きょう (kyou, today) |
| しゃ | sha | しゃしん (shashin, photo) |
| しゅ | shu | しゅみ (shumi, hobby) |
| しょ | sho | しょくじ (shokuji, meal) |
| ちゃ | cha | おちゃ (ocha, tea) |
| ちゅ | chu | ちゅうがく (chuugaku, middle school) |
| ちょ | cho | ちょっと (chotto, a little) |
| にゃ | nya | にゃー (nyaa, meow) |
| にゅ | nyu | にゅうがく (nyuugaku, school enrollment) |
| にょ | nyo | にょろにょろ (nyoronyo, slithering) |
| ひゃ | hya | ひゃく (hyaku, hundred) |
| ひゅ | hyu | ひゅー (hyuu, whooshing sound) |
| ひょ | hyo | ひょうが (hyouga, glacier) |
| みゃ | mya | みゃく (myaku, pulse) |
| りゃ | rya | りゃく (ryaku, abbreviation) |
| りゅ | ryu | りゅう (ryuu, dragon) |
| りょ | ryo | りょこう (ryokou, travel) |
Voiced Yoon
| Combination | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ぎゃ | gya | ぎゃく (gyaku, reverse/opposite) |
| ぎゅ | gyu | ぎゅうにく (gyuuniku, beef) |
| ぎょ | gyo | ぎょうざ (gyouza, dumplings) |
| じゃ | ja | じゃ、また (ja, mata — see you!) |
| じゅ | ju | じゅぎょう (jugyou, class/lesson) |
| じょ | jo | じょうず (jouzu, skilled) |
| びゃ | bya | びゃく (byaku, white — classical) |
| びゅ | byu | びゅう (byuu, whoosh) |
| びょ | byo | びょういん (byouin, hospital) |
| ぴゃ | pya | ぴゃあ (pyaa, shriek/cry) |
| ぴゅ | pyu | ぴゅう (pyuu, whizzing) |
| ぴょ | pyo | ぴょんぴょん (pyonpyon, hopping) |
Common Mistake: Big vs Small や ゆ よ
- きや (ki-ya, two syllables) vs きゃ (kya, one syllable) — completely different
- きょう (kyou) = today | きよう (kiyou) = skillful — different words!
- Always write the combining character small when making yoon
High-Frequency Yoon in Everyday Japanese
- きょう (kyou) — today
- しゃしん (shashin) — photo
- じゃあ (jaa) — well then / okay
- ちょっと (chotto) — a little / just a moment
- りょこう (ryokou) — travel
- しゅみ (shumi) — hobby
- おちゃ (ocha) — tea
Yuka & Rei Learn Yoon Combinations
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.
YukaRei, I see small や、ゆ、よ sometimes in words. Like きゃ or しゅ. What’s happening?
ReiThese are yoon (拗音) — combination sounds! A consonant + small や/ゆ/よ blends into one syllable. き + small や = きゃ (kya). し + small ゆ = しゅ (shu). The small size signals it’s part of the previous character, not a separate syllable.
YukaHow many of these combinations are there?
Rei33 combinations — but once you know the pattern, you can produce them all. Any character from the い column (き、し、ち、に、ひ、み、り、ぎ、じ、び、ぴ) can combine with small や/ゆ/よ. Learn the pattern, not all 33 individually.
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.
- きゃく (kyaku) — guest / customer
- しゅみ (shumi) — hobby (from this unit!)
- にゅうがく (nyuugaku) — school enrollment
- びょういん (byouin) — hospital
- ひゃく (hyaku) — one hundred
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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