Lesson 8 of 16
Y row
Only three kana here: ya, yu, yo. The missing slots (yi and ye) don't exist in modern Japanese. These kana also become small や, ゆ, よ later on, to make blended sounds like kya.
Pronunciation
How it sounds
y is the y of yes, glided straight into the vowel: ya, yu, yo. There is no yi or ye. Each of these kana also has a small version (ゃ ゅ ょ) that you'll use to blend sounds in lesson 14.
Reading tips
Easy to mix up
よ and ま can look similar at a glance. ま has two bars above its loop; よ has one.
ya
A Yawl, a small sailboat.
yu
Utensils for eating: a fork and spoon. Say "yoo".
yo
Yoga: a person balancing in a pose.
Real vocabulary
Words you can read now
ゆき
yuki
snow
やま
yama
mountain
ゆめ
yume
dream
やすみ
yasumi
day off, break
やさい
yasai
vegetables
ふゆ
fuyu
winter