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HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE

よ (yo) in hiragana

Yo in hiragana is よ: one short bar at the right of the long stroke; ま has two bars across it.

Reading
yo
Type
yo
Katakana
ヨ
Strokes
2
Audio
see listening section
On this page

How よ is written, and why it is not ま.

The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.

start end

Not to be confused with
ま · maTwo bars, and the long stroke crosses both.

Memory hook: Picture a yo-yo on its string: a short bar to the right, and the string looping at the bottom. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics

More hiragana activities

WRITE IT

How to write よ: stroke order

Bar first, or the long stroke? The bar. Write the short bar at the right first, starting at the center line, where the long stroke will come down; then the long stroke with its loop, just as ま’s bars come before its long stroke.

Shape: Taller than wide, like a drop of water: narrow at the top, with a short bar at the upper right, and wide at the bottom, where the long stroke loops.

In this model, both strokes stop. Japanese schools name three kinds of ending: Stop とめ, Hook はね, Sweep はらい. Textbooks and teachers differ on some.

  1. Stroke 1Stop とめ

    Starts at the vertical center line, well above the horizontal one, where the long stroke will come down. A short bar to the right, rising gently and ending far right. Write this bar first, before the long stroke.

  2. Stroke 2Stop とめ

    Starts on the vertical center line, near the top, higher than stroke 1. Straight down, just touching the left end of stroke 1, to well below the middle; then curve left into a loop at the bottom, go back across the long stroke, and finish toward the lower right, about level with the bottom of the loop.

One mistake to avoid: strokes 1 and 2

Watch for
Starting stroke 1 left of the center line, so the long stroke cuts through the bar, as it cuts through ま’s bars.
Fix
Start the bar at the center line, where the long stroke will come down, and draw it to the right only; then bring the long stroke down so it just touches the bar’s left end.
Practice writingMake a writing sheetSee it on the stroke-order chart

Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.

READ IT

Read よ in print and in words.

よ in handwriting and three typefaces

  • Handwriting model
  • Textbook style
  • Print, plain (gothic)
  • Print, serif (mincho)

In every typeface よ has one short bar, on the right of the long stroke only, and a loop at the bottom. Copy the handwriting model.

Find よ inside a word.

  • yokoside; besideUp to the Y row
  • tsuyoistrongUp to the Y row
  • youfukuclothesThe う makes the o long: said yō-fu-ku.Up to the Y row
  • ohayougood morningSaid to family and friends; the polite form is おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu).Up to the Y row

“Up to the Y row” marks a word written only with kana from the vowels to the Y row of the chart, so you can read it if you learn the chart in order.

おはよう is usually written in hiragana; in everyday writing よこ is 横, つよい 強い and ようふく 洋服. The others are in hiragana here for reading practice.

Read more words with よ

TELL THEM APART

よ or ま?

よ · yoOne short bar, only at the right, just touching the long stroke.
ま · maTwo bars, and the long stroke crosses both.

Count the bars and see where they sit: よ has one short bar, on the right of the long stroke only, just touching it; ま has two bars, and its long stroke crosses both and sticks out above them. Both end in a loop at the bottom.

Open the guide for ma (ま)

A quick check

Four models, handwritten and printed: is each one よ or ま? Only your first answer to each model counts.

SOUND AND SPELLING

Small ょ, typing, and よ at the end of a sentence.

As a particle: At the end of a sentence, よ tells the listener something new or stresses it: つきましたよ (tsukimashita yo), “We’ve arrived.”

Sound: A small ょ makes one beat with a kana ending in i, like び (bi): びょういん (byouin, hospital) is four beats, byo-u-i-n. With a full-size よ, びよういん (biyouin, beauty salon) is five, bi-yo-u-i-n.

Typing: Type yo for よ. For a small ょ, type it as one syllable with the kana before it: byo gives びょ, while biyo gives びよ. On its own, xyo or lyo gives ょ.

Small ょ and the other small kana, on the dakuten page

YOUR NEXT STEP

Practice よ with ま.

A short round of よ and ま, the shapes this page compares.

Practice よ and まFlip them as flash cards

Practice the whole Y row: や ゆ よIt includes や and ゆ, which this page does not teach.

Learn よ with its group in lesson 8 · Try it on the hiragana keyboard

Sources, artwork and review status

Teaching content on this page is a draft: a Japanese educator has not reviewed it yet. Generated pronunciation audio is available in the listening section.

Stroke models and drawings: KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.

Two typefaces are served from this site: Klee One and Noto Serif JP (SIL Open Font License). The gothic sample uses this device’s own font.

Draft teaching content · Japanese educator review pending · Approved generated audio is available in the listening section; romaji is a reading aid, not a pronunciation guide.

minimachi · HIRAGANA CHARACTER CARD

よ · yo

Yo in hiragana is よ: one short bar at the right of the long stroke; ま has two bars across it.

Writing model
1
2

Write it, stroke by stroke.

  1. Starts at the center line, above the middle; a short bar to the right. — stop (とめ)
  2. Starts at the top, on the center line; down, a loop, then out to the right. — stop (とめ)

Watch for: Starting stroke 1 left of the center line, so the long stroke cuts through the bar, as it cuts through ま’s bars. Fix: Start the bar at the center line, where the long stroke will come down, and draw it to the right only; then bring the long stroke down so it just touches the bar’s left end.

よこ · yoko · side; besideつよい · tsuyoi · strongようふく · youfuku · clothes

Trace, copy, then cover the model and write from memory.

Stroke model: KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors · CC BY-SA 3.0 · kanjivg.tagaini.net · license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Draft teaching content; Japanese educator review pending. Generated audio: see full guide.
Full guide and sources: minimachi.com/hiragana/yo/

Listen to the sounds and examples on this page

Generated speech: Google Cloud Text-to-Speech. Checked by a native Japanese speaker. Audio is available only for items with a Listen button. Listen plays at normal speed; Slow gives more listening time at the original pitch. Sound hints are drafts pending educator review.

Kana sounds

  • よ yo

Example words

  • ようふく clothesSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like よーふく. Keep the kana spelling ようふく; sustain each long vowel for two beats.
  • よこ side; beside
  • つよい strong
  • おはよう good morningSound hint (draft): Commonly sounds like おはよー. Keep the kana spelling おはよう; sustain each long vowel for two beats.