Hiragana 7: Contracted vowels (youon) + Long vowels

Introduction

Time to learn some more hiragana! But don't worry, there aren't any new characters to learn. Just some new sounds.

In addition to tenten, which you've already mastered (right???), we can add smaller versions of や ya, よ yo, or ゆ yu to any syllable that ends with i (like gi or chi). This "squishes" them together and forms a new sound! These are called...

Contracted sounds!

So, just as contracted implies, the two syllables fuse together and turn into a shorter version. From the two syllables of ki and ya, they come together to make the sound kya.

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  し shi + よ yo = しょ sho.

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  に ni + ゆ yu = にゅ nyu.

It may also help to compare the big ones with the small ones!

Compare:

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  りよう with りょう

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  じゆう with じゅう

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  びやく with びゃく

Easy as that! Of course, it’s easy to forget what sound they make once they're fused together. So when in doubt, be sure to reference the chart below. No shame in peeking! We're only starting to get the hang of hiragana after all.

Did someone say? "Long Vowels"

That was my nickname in high school!

That aside, long vowels are the final permutation of hiragana that you'll have to learn... ever! Rejoice!

There are plenty of times when not stretching out your vowels can lead to a misunderstanding, so you might not want to underestimate this one! Listen closely to these two words:

Can you hear the difference? Pronouncing your words correctly is just as important as spelling your words correctly in any language, including Japanese. Don't worry if you can’t tell the difference when listening or speaking just yet. That's a skill for later on! For now, let's focus on reading them.

When you want to extend your vowels in Japanese, all you have to do is follow this chart:

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  To extend an a sound from your previous syllable, just add あ.

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  For i and e sounds, add い.

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  And lastly, for u and o sounds, add う.

Putting those rules into practice, おばさん obasan, means aunt. Adding another あ turns it into おばあさん obaasan, and makes it "grandmother".

This might seem a little funny at first but don't worry: developing the instinct of which vowel to use will come to you with practice!

That's it, you've learned all you need to know to read Hiragana. Round of applause for you! You made it! That's one out of three writing systems!

The only thing left to tell you is to trust the process and have faith that everything will stick in your head. And it will. You'll see and feel yourself recognizing characters just a little bit faster with each passing day. You got this! 💪

When you're ready to tackle katakana, you know where to find it!

Summary

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  Contracted sounds are instances where i-syllables can be paired and fused together with smaller versions of や, よ, and ゆ to make new syllables such as にゃ nya.

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  You can extend vowel sounds by adding あ for a sounds, い for i or e sounds, and う for o or u sounds.