よ (yo)
Pronunciation
The character よ represents the syllable 'yo', a soft 'y' followed by 'o'. Part of the や-row. The small version ょ is used to form yōon syllables.
Stroke-by-Stroke Guide
よ is written in two strokes. Stroke 1: a short horizontal line near the top, written from left to right. Stroke 2: a long vertical stroke that begins from the top of stroke 1, descends through the character, and curves at the bottom into a small closed loop on the lower left, ending with a small inward hook. The bottom curl is similar in spirit to ま but smaller.
Common Words with よ
- ようか (youka) — 8th day of the month
- よっか (yokka) — 4th day of the month
- こよみ (koyomi) — calendar / almanac
- よ (yo) — world / society / public
- よこ (yoko) — horizontal
- よめ (yome) — bride
- よる (yoru) — night / evening
- よん (yon) — four / 4
- よう (you) — business / task / errand
- いよく (iyoku) — will / desire / eagerness
- うよく (uyoku) — right wing
- およぐ (oyogu) — to swim
- およぶ (oyobu) — to reach / to amount to / to befall
- かつよう (katsuyou) — practical use / application / making good use of
- かよう (kayou) — to go to and from / to go back and forth between / to run between
- こよう (koyou) — employment / hire
- さいよう (saiyou) — use / adoption / acceptance
- さよう (sayou) — action / operation / process
- さよく (sayoku) — left wing
- しよう (shiyou) — use / application / employment
How to Write よ (yo) in Hiragana
The hiragana character よ is romanized as "yo" and is written with 2 strokes. Like "yo" in "yoga". Example word: よる (yoru) — night.
Stroke Order for よ
When writing よ, follow the numbered stroke order shown in the reference character above. Japanese characters are generally written from left to right and top to bottom. Correct stroke order improves readability and writing speed.
Practice Tips
- Print this sheet on standard 8.5" × 11" letter paper
- Start by tracing the light grey guide characters in the first column
- Then practice writing よ freehand in the empty squares
- Pay attention to stroke direction and order — follow the numbered guide
- For interactive practice with animations, visit the main study page
About Hiragana
Hiragana is one of the three Japanese writing systems. It consists of 46 basic characters, each representing a syllable. Hiragana is used for native Japanese words, grammar particles, and verb endings. Learning correct stroke order is essential for proper Japanese handwriting.