Editing Classical Japanese (section)

==== {{nihongo|Y-row|ヤ行|ya-gyō}} rule ====

In modern Japanese, the small kana {{nihongo2|ゃ/ャ}}, {{nihongo2|ゅ/ュ}}, and {{nihongo2|ょ/ョ}} (''ya'', ''yu'', and ''yo'') are used to indicate [[palatalized consonant]]s ({{nihongo2|拗音}} ''Yōon'') when following an I-column ({{nihongo2|イ段}} ''I-dan'') kana of the K-, G-, N-, B-, P-, M-, or R-rows ({{nihongo2|カ～, ガ～, ナ～, バ～, パ～, マ～, ラ行}}; ''Ka-'', ''Ga-'', ''Na-'', ''Ba-'', ''Pa-'', ''Ma-'', ''Ra-gyō''). For example:

* {{nihongo2|客 ('''きゃ'''く)}} ('''''kya'''ku'' "guest")
* {{nihongo2|如実 ('''にょ'''じつ)}} ('''''nyo'''jitsu'' "reality")
* {{nihongo2|白檀 ('''びゃ'''くだん)}} ('''''bya'''kudan'' "sandalwood")
* {{nihongo2|'''ぴょ'''こ'''ぴょ'''こ}} ('''''pyo'''ko'''pyo'''ko'' "up and down")
* {{nihongo2|山脈 (さん'''みゃ'''く)}} (''san'''mya'''ku'' "mountain range")
* {{nihongo2|略 ('''りゃ'''く)}} ('''''rya'''ku'' "abbreviation")

When a small Y-row ({{nihongo2|ヤ行}} ''Ya-gyō'') kana follows an I-column kana of the S-, Z-, T-, D-, or H-rows ({{nihongo2|サ～, ザ～, タ～, ダ～, ハ行}}; ''Sa-'', ''Za-'', ''Ta-'', ''Da-'', ''Ha-gyō''), the preceding consonant is changed:

* {{nihongo2|食 ('''しょ'''く)}} ('''''sho'''ku'' "meal")
* {{nihongo2|樹立 ('''じゅ'''りつ)}} ('''''ju'''ritsu'' "establish")
* {{nihongo2|茶 ('''ちゃ''')}} ('''''cha''''' "tea")
* {{nihongo2|～中 ('''ぢゅう''')}} (''-'''jū''''' "throughout [suffix]") (note that, as noted above, {{nihongo2|ぢゃ}} ''ja'', {{nihongo2|ぢゅ}} ''ju'', and {{nihongo2|ぢょ}} ''jo'' only occur in modern Japanese writing when a sequence {{nihongo2|ちゃ}} ''cha'', {{nihongo2|ちゅ}} ''chu'', or {{nihongo2|ちょ}} ''cho'' is sequentially voiced, as in this example, and the pronunciation is identical to {{nihongo2|じゃ}} ''ja'', {{nihongo2|じゅ}} ''ju'', and {{nihongo2|じょ}} ''jo'') 
* {{nihongo2|百 ('''ひゃ'''く)}} ('''''hya'''ku'' "hundred") (note that the sequence {{IPA|/hj/}} is pronounced {{IPA|/ç/}} as noted above, but this difference is not reflected in any mainstream Japanese romanization system)

These three kana cannot follow A-row ({{nihongo2|ア行}} ''A-gyō'') or W-row ({{nihongo2|ワ行}} ''Wa-gyō'') kana in this way.

In historical kana, all of these examples are written with large kana {{nihongo2|や/ヤ}}, {{nihongo2|ゆ/ユ}}, and {{nihongo2|よ/ヨ}} (''ya'', ''yu'', and ''yo''). So the previous examples would be written:

* {{nihongo2|客 ('''きや'''く)}} (written '''''kiya'''ku'', but pronounced '''''kya'''ku'')
* {{nihongo2|如實 ('''によ'''じつ)}} (written '''''niyo'''jitsu'', but pronounced '''''nyo'''jitsu'') (note the presence of an old character form here)
* {{nihongo2|白檀 ('''びや'''くだん)}} (written '''''biya'''ku'', but pronounced '''''bya'''ku'')
* {{nihongo2|'''ぴよ'''こ'''ゝゝ'''ゝ}} (written '''''piyo'''ko'''piyo'''ko'', but pronounced '''''pyo'''ko'''pyo'''ko'') (again, multiple iteration marks are used here)
* {{nihongo2|山脈 (さん'''みや'''く)}} (written ''san'''miya'''ku'', but pronounced ''san'''mya'''ku'')
* {{nihongo2|略 ('''りや'''く)}} (written '''''riya'''ku'', but pronounced '''''rya'''ku'')
* {{nihongo2|食 ('''しよ'''く)}} (written '''''shiyo'''ku'', but pronounced '''''sho'''ku'')
* {{nihongo2|樹立 ('''じゆ'''りつ)}} (written '''''jiyu'''ritsu'', but pronounced '''''ju'''ritsu'')
* {{nihongo2|茶 ('''ちや''')}} (written '''''chiya''''', but pronounced '''''cha''''')
* {{nihongo2|～中 ('''ぢゆう''')}} (written ''-'''jiyū''''', but pronounced ''-'''jū''''')
* {{nihongo2|百 ('''ひや'''く)}} (written '''''hiya'''ku'', but pronounced '''''hya'''ku'')

This is the only historical kana rule that does not reflect a historical pronunciation. It is also one of only two rules (along with the geminate rule) that create ambiguity for the reader (excluding the exceptions listed above for the H-row rule). For instance, the aforementioned word {{nihongo2|客}} (''kyaku'') is not differentiated in historical kana from the word {{nihongo2|規約}} (''kiyaku'' "agreement") when written in historical kana: both are written {{nihongo2|きやく}} (''kiyaku'').