How to write ヤ (ya) in katakana
ヤ (ya) never takes the voicing marks. Its shape keeps a part of the kanji 也 (“to be (classical)”). It takes two short strokes: the first from the left going rightwards then down and left, the last ending at the bottom. Loanwords that begin with it: ヤクザ (“(member of the) yakuza”), ヤング (“young”), ヤンマ (“lamenting”) and ヤード (“yard (unit of distance)”).
- Romaji
- ya
- Strokes
- 2
- From
- 也
- Hiragana
- や
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- leftrightwards → down and left
- top leftdownwards
Where ヤ comes from
- Katakana
- 也, a part of the kanji
- Hiragana
- や from 也
Here both scripts start from the same kanji, 也 (“to be (classical)”).
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Small ャ
The small form joins the kana before it into one syllable.
Words with ヤ
36 common JMdict katakana words with it; ten shown.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ヤクザ | yakuza | (member of the) yakuza; gangster |
| ヤング | yangu | young; youth |
| ヤンマ | yanma | lamenting |
| ヤード | yaado | yard (unit of distance) |
| ヤンキー | yankii | (juvenile) delinquent; Yankee |
| ヤンガージェネレーション | yangaajienereeshon | younger generation |
| マヤ | maya | Maya (ancient Indian tribe in Central America) |
| タイヤ | taiya | tire; tyre |
| ダイヤ | daiya | diamond |
| ベニヤ | beniya | veneer; plywood |
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kana: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Katakana, in chart order: