HIRAGANA · CHARACTER GUIDE
ゆ (yu) in hiragana
Yu in hiragana is ゆ: a line on the left turns into a loop, and a long line runs through it.
- Reading
- yu
- Type
yu- Katakana
- ユ
- Strokes
- 2
- Audio
- see listening section
On this page
How ゆ is written, and how its shape differs from や.
The full model: 2 strokes, numbered in order.
start end
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Memory hook: Picture a vine curling around a tall pole: it dips, climbs up and over, and the pole runs down through the loop. Make your own · All 46 hiragana mnemonics
More hiragana activities
WRITE IT
How to write ゆ: stroke order
Is ゆ 2 strokes or 3? Two. The line on the left and the big loop are one stroke: come down, turn back up sharply, and go round without lifting the pen. The long line through the loop is the second.
Shape: Round, nearly as wide as it is tall: a line down the left that turns into a big loop, and a long line down through the loop.
In this model, stroke 2 sweeps. Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model. Japanese schools name three kinds of ending: Ending: Stop とめ, Ending: Hook はね, Ending: Sweep はらい. Textbooks and teachers differ on some.
Stroke 1
Starts far left of the vertical center line, near the top. Straight down to well below the middle; turn back sharply up the same line a short way, then curve up to the right, over the top, round the right side and back in to the left, ending inside the loop just left of the center line. Keep the loop about as tall as the line on the left.
Stroke 2Ending: Sweep はらい
Starts just right of the vertical center line, near the top, higher than stroke 1. Down through the top and bottom of the loop, bowing slightly to the right; near the bottom, curve to the left and end with a short sweep, just left of the center line.
One mistake to avoid: stroke 1
- Watch for
- The loop is much smaller than the line on the left, so ゆ looks lopsided.
- Fix
- Make the loop as tall as the line: its top about level with the line’s top, its bottom about level with the line’s foot, as in the model.
Stroke diagrams adapted from KanjiVG, © Ulrich Apel and contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0. License and attribution.
READ IT
Read ゆ in print and in words.
ゆ in handwriting and three typefaces
Handwriting model Textbook style Print, plain (gothic) Print, serif (mincho)
In the serif (mincho) typeface the end of the loop runs up into the top of the long line, so the long line looks like a narrow loop; in handwriting they are two strokes. Copy the handwriting model.
Find ゆ inside a word.
- ゆきyukisnow. Up to the Y row
- ゆめyumedream. Up to the Y row
- おゆoyuhot waterゆ (yu) on its own also means hot water; it is the sign at the door of many public baths.. Up to the Y row
- ゆかたyukatalight cotton summer kimono. 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.
In everyday writing these words use kanji (ゆき is 雪, ゆめ 夢, おゆ お湯, ゆかた 浴衣); here they are in hiragana for reading practice.
TELL THEM APART
ゆ or や?
Look at the long line: in ゆ it runs down through the middle of the loop, with a line joined to the loop on the left; in や it crosses the curve on the left and leans down to the right, and a short mark sits apart on top.
A quick check
Four models, handwritten and printed: ゆ or や? Only your first answer to each model counts. The models are pictures; each one is described in words after you answer.
This check changed in another tab. It now shows your latest answers.
Which reading matches this model?
Check finished.
A short practice with pictures of the shapes. It does not test pronunciation, listening or long-term recall.
SOUND AND SPELLING
Small ゅ, and typing.
Sound: A small ゅ joins a kana ending in i, like じ (ji) or き (ki), into one beat: じゅう (juu, ten) is two beats, ju-u. With a full-size ゆ, じゆう (jiyuu, freedom) is three, ji-yu-u.
Typing: Type yu for ゆ. For a small ゅ, type it as one syllable with the kana before it: ju gives じゅ and kyu gives きゅ, while jiyu gives じゆ. On its own, xyu or lyu gives ゅ.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Practice ゆ with や.
A short round of ゆ and や, the shapes this page compares.
Practice the whole Y row: や ゆ よIt includes よ, which this page does not teach.
Learn ゆ 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.
- Japan Foundation: MARUGOTO-NO-KOTOBA vocabulary (readings and meanings)
- Jisho.org (JMdict): readings and common spellings
- syoka-koyoblog (penmanship): ゆ
- z-shogei calligraphy school: も, や and ゆ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: ゆ
- Matsumoto Shoeido calligraphy school: ゆ
- Japanese-Lesson.com: や ゆ よ
- ryohkei.com: ゆ
- JapanesePod101: the hiragana Y column and small ゃ, ゅ, ょ
- ベネッセ教育情報 (Benesse): kana children misread, including や, ゆ and よ
- Mozc (open-source Google Japanese Input): romaji table
- Japan Foundation’s Irodori kana materials (spelling reference)
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
ゆ · yu
Yu in hiragana is ゆ: a line on the left turns into a loop, and a long line runs through it.
Write it, stroke by stroke.
- Starts far left, near the top; down, back up, then round in a big loop.
- Starts just right of center, near the top; down through the loop, sweeps. — sweep (はらい)
Sources differ on how stroke 1 ends, so no ending is marked: copy the model.
Watch for: The loop is much smaller than the line on the left, so ゆ looks lopsided. Fix: Make the loop as tall as the line: its top about level with the line’s top, its bottom about level with the line’s foot, as in the model.
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/yu/
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
- ゆ yu
Example words
- ゆき snow
- おゆ hot water
- ゆめ dream
- ゆかた light cotton summer kimono