Hiragana "Yo" Coloring Pages

"Yo" for "Yofuku" (Clothes)

The letter on this coloring page is the Hiragana "Yo".
The word is "yofuku" (clothes). The left picture on the first page shows a kid's shirt on a hanger and folded pants.
The shirt has a collar and buttons.
It is so much fun to pick which clothes you want to wear every morning!

Hiragana "Yo" came from "与"

Long ago, people wrote the kanji "与" in a fast, smooth way. Over time, it became the Hiragana "Yo".
The Katakana "ヨ" came from the very same kanji, "与".
The straight lines of "与" rounded out to make the shape of Hiragana "Yo"!

Tips for writing it

You write Hiragana "Yo" with 2 strokes.
For stroke 1, write a short line to the right.
For stroke 2, bring a vertical line straight down, make a small loop at the bottom, and sweep out to the right.
Make sure the vertical line crosses near the middle of the first line to make it look neat.
Draw the loop soft and round so it does not get squished!

The second page is full of words with "Yo"

On the second coloring page, pictures of things starting with "yo" are all around a big Hiragana "Yo" in the middle.
You will find yofuku (clothes) on a hanger, yogan (lava) flowing from a volcano, a starry yoru (night), and yoroi (armor) worn by ancient samurai.
There is also a winged yosei (fairy) and yogurutom (yogurt) with a spoon!

Let's play with "Yo" words

Other words that start with "yo" are yotto (yacht), yokan (sweet bean jelly), yochien (kindergarten), and yoko (side).
Sometimes, "yo" is written small and joined with other letters, like in "kyo" or "sho".
Try to find words with small letters, like "kyoryu" (dinosaur) or "densha" (train)!

How to enjoy the 2 coloring pages

On the first coloring page, you can color the clothes and the big Hiragana "Yo", then trace the letter to practice writing.
On the second coloring page, you can take your time coloring while finding all the different "yo" words.
The clothes on the second page are a jacket and pants for adults. Try comparing them with the kid's clothes on the first page!

Color the big Hiragana "Yo" with your favorite colors

Try coloring inside the lines of the big Hiragana "Yo" at the top right with any color you like.
If you change colors for the 1st stroke and 2nd stroke, it is easy to see the stroke order.
It also looks cute if you color inside the bottom loop with a different color.

Color the clothes with your favorite colors and patterns

Try coloring the shirt and pants in colors you would like to wear.
If you make the shirt light blue and the pants navy blue, it will look cool and fresh.
It is also cute to make the shirt yellow or pink, and leave only the buttons white.
Try adding stripes or polka dots to make your very own clothes.
It is good to color the hanger brown or gray.

On the 2nd page, pay attention to how bright the colors are

On the 2nd page, if you color the lava with red and orange, it will look hot.
If you make the night sky dark blue or purple, and make the stars yellow, they will look shiny.
Color the fairy's wings with pale light blue or pale pink to make them look see-through.

Trace each letter carefully, one by one

In the boxes at the bottom right, 8 light gray Hiragana "Yo" are lined up.
Hold your pencil the right way, and trace slowly over the gray lines without going outside the lines.
Use the vertical and horizontal lines in the center of the boxes as clues to balance your letter well.
For the bottom loop, spin your pencil around in one go without stopping.
Every time you write one, compare it with the big Hiragana "Yo" model.

"Yo" Means Across the Ocean

The "Yo" in Hiragana "Yo" (Western clothes) is written with the Kanji character 「洋」.
This means countries across the ocean, especially Europe and America.
Kimonos, which have been in Japan for a long time, are called "Wafuku" (Japanese clothes).

Hiragana "Yo" Spread in the Meiji Period

In the past, people in Japan wore kimonos every day.
Hiragana "Yo" started to spread about 150 years ago in the Meiji period.
At first, people started wearing them for work, like the military and mail carriers.

"Botan" Comes from a Foreign Language

The word for buttons on shirts is said to come from the Portuguese language.
Old kimonos did not have buttons. People tied them with strings or sashes instead.
Try counting how many buttons are on the Hiragana "Yo" at your house!

Taking Care of Hiragana "Yo"

Inside Hiragana "Yo", there is often a tag with tiny symbols that show how to wash them.
The pictures show if you can wash them in a washing machine or if it is better to wash them by hand.
Check the tags on your Hiragana "Yo" together with your family!