Pinyin initial: "y"

The Pinyin initial "y" is used in the first half of Pinyin syllables. In MandarinBanana's mnemonic system, "y" belongs to the group of Pinyin initials which are represented in mnemonics by women. You can visit the Pinyin index to see all Pinyin syllables from this mnemonic group, or to see all Pinyin syllables "y" can appear in.

Mnemonics for y

Y is for Maud Younger.

Characters with y

沿
yán = y + an2
along / to follow (a line, tradition etc) / to carry on / to trim (a border with braid, tape etc) / border / edge
沿 = 氵 + 几 + 口 : Maud Younger (y) hides a huge mandarin (口) under a table (几) in the anthill's kitchen (an2). She doesn't want anyone to touch it, so she marks the border (沿) of the forbidden zone using water bottles (氵).
液
yè = y + e4
liquid / fluid / Taiwan pr. [yi4]
液 = 夜 + 氵 : Maud Younger (y) wanted to empty her chamber pot (夜) in the elevator's bathroom (e4), but she finds the toilet clogged. She'll have to store the liquid (液) in an empty water bottle (氵) instead.
衍
yǎn = y + an3
to spread out / to develop / to overflow / to amplify / superfluous
衍 = 氵 + 行 : Maud Younger (y) is dancing on the bar in the anthill (an3), but suddenly her seven-league boots (行) cause her to run around like crazy, breaking all the water bottles (氵) and thereby having the whole inn overflow (衍) with water.
忧
憂
yo̅u = y + ou1
to worry / to concern oneself with / worried / anxiety / sorrow / (literary) to observe mourning
忧 = 尤 + 忄 : Maud Younger (y) received a medal (尤) for her nice fail (忄) in front of the outhouse (ou1), but now she's worried (忧) that someone will steal her flail since now it is so famous.
怡
yí = y + Ø2
harmony / pleased
役
yì = y + Ø4
forced labor / corvée / obligatory task / military service / to use as servant / to enserf / servant (old) / war / campaign / battle
役 = 彳 + 殳 : Maud Younger (y) has been forced to manucfacture black sneakers (彳) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). When she started the forced labor (役) all she got as a tool was a halberd (殳).
疫
yì = y + Ø4
epidemic / plague
疫 = 殳 + 疒 : Maud Younger (y) was supposed to fight an epidemic (疫) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4), but all she got was a halberd (殳). Very soon she got a colorful rash (疒) herself, but she still stands guard in the bathroom and forces everyone to wash their hands regularly.
尾
yǐ = y + Ø3
horse's tail / pointed posterior section of a locust etc
应
應
yìng = y + (e)ng4
to answer / to respond / to comply with / to deal or cope with
应 = 广 + ⺍ + 一 : Mnemonic symbol: from 应龙, responsive dragon. The responsive dragon knows every answer to every quiz question ever asked.
应 = 广 + ⺍ + 一 : Maud Younger and the responsive dragon want to peacefully take over engine: They skydive into engine's bathroom using two parachutes. On top of it, Maud Younger plays a flute, and the responsive dragon is waving with a daisy responding to the rhythm of the music.
应
應
yi̅ng = y + (e)ng1
surname Ying / Taiwan pr. [Ying4]
应
應
yi̅ng = y + (e)ng1
to agree (to do sth) / should / ought to / must / (legal) shall
丫
ya̅ = y + a1
fork / branch / bifurcation / girl
Maud Younger is playing a game with a girl in front of the ashram. Blindfolded, Maud Younger is supposed to find the girl with a dowsing rod.
羊
yáng = y + ang2
sheep / goat / CL:頭|头[tou2],隻|只[zhi1]
羊 = 丫 + 三 : Maud Younger is looking for gender equality just inside the anglepod's kitchen—and a dowsing rod is her tool of choice. A sheep sees this and imitates her, using a Cartesian coordinate system as a dowsing rod substitute.
羊
yáng = y + ang2
surname Yang
样
樣
yàng = y + ang4
manner / pattern / way / appearance / shape / classifier: kind, type
样 = 木 + 羊 : Maud Younger finds a sheep painting the walls in the anglepod's bathroom. The sheep is painting the walls with a pattern of Christmas trees. Intoxicated by the pattern's appearance, she almost believes herself to stand in the middle of a mystical forest.
养
養
yǎng = y + ang3
to raise (animals) / to bring up (children) / to keep (pets) / to support / to give birth
养 = 介 + 羊 : Maud Younger wants to send a sheep to the moon using a rocket in the anglepod.
洋
yáng = y + ang2
ocean / vast / foreign / silver dollar or coin
洋 = 氵 + 羊 : Maud Younger found a magical sheep just inside the anglepod's kitchen. The sheep has a water bottle out of which endlessly silver coins pour out. With the bottle the sheep already created a real ocean of foreign silver coins.
氧
yǎng = y + ang3
oxygen (chemistry)
氧 = 气 + 羊 : Maud Younger (y) gave the sheep (羊) a balloon (气) inside of the anglepod (ang3), but unfortunately it doesn't float because it is filled with oxygen (氧).
痒
yǎng = y + ang3
variant of 癢|痒[yang3] / to itch / to tickle
痒 = 疒 + 羊 : The sheep (羊) got a colorful rash (疒) in the anglepod (ang3) and is very itchy (痒). Maud Younger (y) has to scratch (痒) his itches at all times.
痒
癢
yǎng = y + ang3
to itch / to tickle
痒 = 疒 + 羊 : The sheep (羊) got a colorful rash (疒) in the anglepod (ang3) and is very itchy (痒). Maud Younger (y) has to scratch (痒) his itches at all times.