Katakana Y-Row stroke order: ヤ ユ ヨ
ヤ, ユ and ヨ are where katakana corners show up. ユ and ヨ both start with a corner stroke (across then down in one motion), and the flat strokes come after. The small ャ, ュ and ョ used in contracted sounds are written the same way, just smaller.
Y-Row characters
ヤ (ya) 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
The hooked stroke across first, then the stroke that comes down through it.
ユ (yu) 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
The corner stroke first, then the long bottom line.
ヨ (yo) 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
The corner stroke (across and down the right side), then the middle line, then the bottom line.
Common mistakes
ユ and コ are the pair to watch. Both start with a corner stroke, but ユ's bottom line is long and sticks out well past the vertical, while コ's bottom line just closes the box. ヨ is three strokes: the corner first, then the middle line, then the bottom line. Count the horizontal lines to tell it from エ, which has two horizontals with a vertical between them. ヤ's first stroke goes across and hooks back, and the second comes down through it from above. The small ャ, ュ and ョ in contracted sounds like キャ, シュ and チョ use exactly these strokes, just at about half size.
Keep going
Learn what each character looks like and how to remember it in the katakana Y-Row mnemonics article, then drill recognition with Y-Row flashcards. The same row in hiragana is here.