Yoon Combinations: きゃ/しゃ/りゃ Chart + Drills

Yoon Combinations (きゃ / しゃ / りゃ)

Yoon combinations are one of the first moments where kana starts to feel harder than charts.

You already know the sounds. You already know the kana.

But when small ゃゅょ appears, many learners suddenly:

• read too slowly,
• split sounds into two beats,
• or feel their mouth “trip” mid-word.

This page fixes that — cleanly and permanently.

TL;DR

• Yoon = i-row kana + small ゃゅょ
• They are one beat, not two
• Say them as a single blended sound
• Write small ゃゅょ visibly smaller
• Drill slow → blend → speed up

If you want the full kana roadmap first, go here:

Learn Japanese Kana (Roadmap)

The complete plan: hiragana → katakana → kana extras.

Back to the hub →

What Is Yoon? (In One Sentence)

Yoon combinations are made by combining:

an i-row kana + a small ゃ / ゅ / ょ
to form one single sound beat.

Example:

• き + ゃ → きゃ (kya)
• し + ゅ → しゅ (shu)
• り + ょ → りょ (ryo)

👉 If you hear two beats, it’s wrong.

The Core Yoon Chart (Most Used Combinations)

Focus on these first — they cover nearly all real usage.

K series

• きゃ / きゅ / きょ

S series

• しゃ / しゅ / しょ

T series

• ちゃ / ちゅ / ちょ

N series

• にゃ / にゅ / にょ

H series

• ひゃ / ひゅ / ひょ

M series

• みゃ / みゅ / みょ

R series

• りゃ / りゅ / りょ

G / J / B / P series

• ぎゃ / ぎゅ / ぎょ
• じゃ / じゅ / じょ
• びゃ / びゅ / びょ
• ぴゃ / ぴゅ / ぴょ

👉 You do not need to memorize them all at once.
Drill one series per session.

How to Pronounce Yoon (The Non-Stutter Method)

Most learners fail yoon because they hesitate in the middle.

Use this 3-step method:

Step 1: Slow split (once)

Say it slowly once only:

• き … ゃ

Step 2: Blend (10 reps)

Now blend it immediately:

• きゃ きゃ きゃ

Step 3: Speed up (10 reps)

Keep it one beat, slightly faster:

• きゃきゃきゃ

👉 If your mouth pauses, slow down again — then retry.

Practice Drills (60 Seconds per Combination)

This is your exclusive drill loop.
Short, repeatable, effective.

Drill A: Listen → Shadow

• Listen once
• Shadow 10× (same rhythm)

Drill B: One-Beat Test

• Clap once per sound
• If you clap twice, reset

Drill C: Writing

• Write each combination 5 times
• Make sure small ゃゅょ stays small

Example Words (Train Like Real Japanese)

Use real words so your brain stops treating yoon as “special”.

Everyday words

• きゃく (guest)
• きゅう (nine / urgent)
• きょう (today)

Very common usage

• しゃしん (photo)
• しゅみ (hobby)
• しょうゆ (soy sauce)

Daily vocabulary

• ちゃわん (rice bowl)
• ちゅうい (attention)
• ちょっと (a little)

Natural speech

• にゃん
• りょこう (travel)
• りょうり (cooking)

Loanwords / modern

• ぎゅうにく (beef)
• じゃま (in the way)
• ぴょんぴょん (jumping)

Common Yoon Mistakes (Fix These Fast)

❌ Reading two beats

• き・や → wrong
• きゃ → correct

❌ Writing やゅょ full size

• Big やゅょ = wrong meaning
• They must be visibly smaller

❌ Over-thinking pronunciation

You don’t need perfect accent. You need one smooth beat.

How to Practice With the Avatalks Tool

Use the tool exactly like this:

1. Listen (10×)
2. Shadow (10×)
3. Write (5×)
4. Random review (10 pulls)

Next Steps

Final Tip

Yoon combinations aren’t advanced Japanese.
They’re normal Japanese.

If you:

• keep them one beat,
• write small ゃゅょ clearly,
• and drill with real words,

👉 your reading and speaking speed will jump immediately.

Five minutes a day is enough — if you practice correctly.