The hiragana yoon chart below shows all 33 combined sound characters — the sounds you get by pairing a main hiragana with a small や (ya), ゆ (yu), or よ (yo). Each card shows the character with romaji pronunciation. Tap any character to hear it spoken in natural Japanese.
ようおんHiragana Yoon
Tap any character to hear its pronunciation
| ya | yu | yo |
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| ya | yu | yo |
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| ya | yu | yo |
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Yoon (拗音) pairs a consonant kana with small や, ゆ, or よ to create a single blended sound. The small kana is not pronounced separately — it shapes the consonant into a glide. 33 characters total across basic, voiced, and semi-voiced rows.
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What Are Yoon (Combined Sounds)?
Yoon (拗音) are combined hiragana sounds made by pairing one of the い (i) column characters with a small や (ya), ゆ (yu), or よ (yo). The small kana is written next to — and slightly smaller than — the main character. Together they form a single blended syllable, not two separate sounds. For example, き + ゃ = きゃ (kya), pronounced in one smooth beat.
Which Characters Can Form Yoon?
Only characters from the い (i) column can combine with small や, ゆ, よ. That gives us 11 base characters across three groups:
- Basic yoon (7 rows) · き、し、ち、に、ひ、み、り + ゃゅょ
- Voiced yoon (3 rows) · ぎ、じ、び + ゃゅょ
- Semi-voiced yoon (1 row) · ぴ + ゃゅょ
💡 Note: じゃ、じゅ、じょ are written as ja, ju, jo — not jya, jyu, jyo. Similarly しゃ、しゅ、しょ become sha, shu, sho and ちゃ、ちゅ、ちょ become cha, chu, cho in standard romaji.
How Do You Pronounce Them?
Think of yoon as a consonant cluster in a single beat. In English, words like “cute” (kyu-t) or “few” (fyu) follow a similar pattern. The key rule: never give the small kana its own beat. きゃ is one mora — kya — not “ki-ya”. Stretching it into two syllables is the most common beginner mistake with yoon.
Big Kana vs Small Kana — How to Tell Apart
The size difference is intentional and meaningful. Full-size や is an independent syllable meaning “ya.” Small ゃ is a modifier — it has no sound on its own and only works attached to an い-column character. In print the difference is clear; in handwriting, make the small kana noticeably smaller and shift it slightly to the lower left of the main character.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Yoon?
If you already know basic hiragana, two to three days of focused practice is enough. The shapes are just combinations of kana you already know — no new strokes to memorise. Focus on the 7 basic rows first, then add the voiced and semi-voiced rows once those feel solid. Use the chart above, tap each card out loud, and pay close attention to the one-beat rule. Real Japanese words like きゅうり (kyuuri, cucumber) and しゃしん (shashin, photo) will make the patterns stick fast.