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|script=[[Latin script]]
|type=[[Alphabet]]
|typedesc=ic and [[Logographiclogographic]]
|language=[[Latin language]]
|phonemes={{grid list
|[{{IPAlink|y}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ʏ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ɨ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|j}}]
|[{{IPAlink|i}}]
Line 25 ⟶ 22:
|[{{IPAlink|ɣ̟}}]
|[{{IPA|ɛi}}]
|[{{IPAlink|y}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ʏ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ɨ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ʔ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ʝ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ɟ͡ʝ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|d͡ʒ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|d͡z}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ʒ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ʃ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|θ}}]
|[{{IPAlink|ð}}]
|[{{IPAlink|θ̠}}]
|[{{IPAlink|z}}]
|{{IPAc-en|w|aɪ}}
|{{IPAc-en|aɪ}}
Line 37 ⟶ 42:
|alphanumber=25
|number=
|fam1=<hiero>G43</hiero><hiero>T3</hiero>
|fam2=[[File:Proto-semiticW-01.svg|20px|Waw]]
|fam3=[[File:PhoenicianW-01.svg|20px]]
Line 75 ⟶ 80:
|equivalents=
|associates=[[List of Latin-script digraphs#Y|y(x)]], [[Ly (digraph)|ly]], [[Ny (digraph)|ny]]
|direction=Left-to-Rightright
|image=File:Latin_letter_Y.svg}}
}}
{{Latin letter info|y}}
'''Y''', or '''y''', is the twenty-fifth and penultimate [[Letter (alphabet)|letter]] of the [[Latin alphabet]], used in the [[English alphabet|modern English alphabet]], the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. According to some authorities, it is the sixth (or seventh if including [[W]]) [[vowel#Written vowels|vowel letter]] of the English alphabet.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Truth About 'Y': It's Mostly a Vowel |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/why-y-is-sometimes-a-vowel-usage |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=14 July 2020 |archive-date=14 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714185532/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/why-y-is-sometimes-a-vowel-usage |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[English orthography|the English writing system]], it mostly represents a [[vowel]] and seldom a [[consonant]], and in other [[Orthography|orthographies]] it may represent a vowel or a consonant. Its name in English is [[English alphabet#Letter names|''wye'']]<ref>Also spelled ''wy'', and the plural is ''wyes''.</ref> (pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|w|aɪ}}), plural ''wyes''.<ref>"Y", ''Oxford English Dictionary,'' 2nd edition (1989); ''Merriam-Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1993); "wy", ''op. cit''.</ref>
 
In [[English orthography|the English writing system]], it mostly represents a [[vowel]] and seldom a [[consonant]], and in other [[Orthography|orthographies]] it may represent a vowel or a consonant.
 
==Name==
In Latin, Y was named ''I graeca'' ("Greek I"), since the classical Greek sound {{IPA|/y/}}, similar to modern German ''ü'' or French ''u'', was not a native sound for Latin speakers, and the letter was initially only used to spell foreign words. This history has led to the standard modern names of the letter in Romance languages – ''i grego'' in Galician, ''i grega'' in Catalan, ''i grec'' in French and Romanian, and ''i greca'' in Italian – all meaning "Greek I". The names ''igrek'' in Polish and ''{{lang|vi|i gờ-rét}}'' in Vietnamese are both phonetic borrowings of the French name. In Dutch, the letter is either only found in loanwords, or is practically equivalent to the digraph [[IJ (digraph)|IJ]]. Hence, both ''Griekse ij'' and ''i-grec'' are used, as well as ''ypsilon''. In Spanish, Y is also called ''i griega''; however, in the twentieth century, the shorter name ''ye'' was proposed and was officially recognized as its name in 2010 by the [[Real Academia Española]], although its original name is still accepted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rae.es/rae/gestores/gespub000018.nsf/(voAnexos)/arch8100821B76809110C12571B80038BA4A/$File/CuestionesparaelFAQdeconsultas.htm#novOrto2|title=Propuesta de un solo nombre para cada una de las letras del abecedario|year=2010|editor=Real Academia Española|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230134236/http://www.rae.es/rae/gestores/gespub000018.nsf/(voAnexos)/arch8100821B76809110C12571B80038BA4A/$File/CuestionesparaelFAQdeconsultas.htm#novOrto2|archive-date=2010-12-30}}</ref>
 
The original Greek name, υ ψιλόν (''[[upsilon]]''), has also been adapted into several modern languages. For example, it is called ''Ypsilon'' in German, ''ypsilon'' in Dutch, and ''{{lang|is|ufsilon}} i'' in Icelandic. Both names are used in Italian, ''ipsilon'' or ''i greca''; likewise in Portuguese, ''ípsilon'' or ''i grego''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/portuguese.htm|title=Portuguese (Português)|website=Omniglot|access-date=May 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909165840/http://www.omniglot.com/writing/portuguese.htm|archive-date=September 9, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Faroese, the letter is simply called ''seinna i'' ("later i") because of its later place in the alphabet. France has a commune called [[Y, Somme|Y]], pronounced {{IPA|/i/|audio=LL-Q150 (fra)-Jules78120-i.wav}}, whose inhabitants go by the demonym ''upsilonienne''/''upsilonien'' in feminine and masculine form respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-23 |title=Bienvenue à Y, le village au nom le plus court de France |url=https://www.tf1info.fr/societe/video-insolite-bienvenue-a-y-le-village-au-nom-le-plus-court-de-france-2170878.html |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=TF1 INFO |language=fr}}</ref>
 
[[Old English]] borrowed Latin Y to write the native Old English sound {{IPA|/y/}} (previously written with the [[Anglo-Saxon runes|rune]] [[ᚣ|yr]] {{runic|ᚣ}}). The name of the letter may be related to 'ui' (or 'vi') in various medieval languages;{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} in [[Middle English]] it was 'wi' {{IPA|/wiː/}},{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} which through the [[Great Vowel Shift]] became the [[Modern English]] 'wy' {{IPA|/waɪ/}}.
 
==History==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Proto-Sinaitic
! Phoenician<br />[[Waw (letter)|waw]]
! Western Greek<br />[[Upsilon]]
! Latin<br />Y
|-
| [[File:Proto-semiticW-01.png|40px]]
| [[File:PhoenicianW-01.svg|frameless|40x40px]]
| [[File:Greek_Upsilon_normal.svg|40px]]
| [[File:Capitalis monumentalis Y.SVG|x30px|Latin Y]]
|}
The oldest direct ancestor of the letter Y was the [[Semitic alphabets|Semitic]] letter ''[[waw (letter)|waw]]'' (pronounced as {{IPA|[w]}}), from which also come [[F]], [[U]], [[V]], and [[W]]. See [[F]] for details. The Greek and Latin alphabets developed from the [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] form of this early alphabet.
 
The form of the modern letter Y is derived from the Greek letter [[upsilon]]. It dates back to the Latin of the first century BC, when upsilon was introduced a second time, this time with its "foot" to distinguish it. It was used to transcribe loanwords from the [[Attic Greek|Attic]] dialect of Greek, which had the non-Latin vowel sound {{IPA|/y/}} (as found in modern French ''cru'' (raw) or German ''grün'' (green)) in words that had been pronounced with {{IPA|/u/}} in earlier Greek.
 
Because {{IPA|[y]}} was not a native sound of Latin, Latin speakers had trouble pronouncing it, and it was usually pronounced {{IPA|/i/}}.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} Some Latin words of [[Italic languages|Italic]] origin also came to be spelled with 'y': Latin ''silva'' ('forest') was commonly spelled ''sylva'', in analogy with the Greek cognate and synonym ''ὕλη''.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]] Second edition, 1989; online version June 2011, ''s.v.'' 'sylva'</ref>
 
===English===
{{refimprove section|date=March 2024}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+Summary of the sources of [[Modern English]] "Y"
Line 95 ⟶ 120:
! Old !! Middle !! Modern
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[File:Phoenician waw.svg|75px]] || rowspan="2" | [[File:Upsilon uc lc.svg|100px]] || V → ||U → || V/U/VV/UU → ||V/U/W
|-
| Y → || '''Y (vowel {{IPA|/y/}})''' → || '''Y (vowel {{IPA|/i/}})''' → || '''Y (vowels)'''
Line 102 ⟶ 127:
|-
| rowspan="2" | G → || rowspan="2" |'''Ᵹ (consonantal {{IPA|/ɡ/}}, {{IPA|/j/}} or {{IPA|/ɣ/}}''') → || rowspan="2" |'''Ȝ''' '''(consonantal {{IPA|/ɡ/}}, {{IPA|/j/}} or {{IPA|/ɣ/}}''') →
|G/GH
|Y
|-
|'''Y (consonant)'''
Line 108 ⟶ 133:
|}
 
====Vowel====
[[File:Proto-semiticW-01.png|thumb|right|An early Semitic version of the letter [[waw (letter)|waw]]]]
The letter Y was used to represent the sound {{IPA|/y/}} in [[Old English]], so Latin {{angbr|u}}, {{angbr|y}} and {{angbr|i}} were all used to represent distinct vowel sounds. But, by the time of [[Middle English]], {{IPA|/y/}} had lost its [[roundedness]] and became identical to {{angbr|i}} ({{IPA|/iː/}} and {{IPA|/ɪ/}}). Therefore, many words that originally had {{angbr|i}} were spelled with {{angbr|y}}, and vice versa.
[[File:Phoenician waw.svg|thumb|right|75px|The later, Phoenician version of waw]]
The oldest direct ancestor of English letter Y was the [[Semitic alphabets|Semitic]] letter ''[[waw (letter)|waw]]'' (pronounced as {{IPA|[w]}}), from which also come [[F]], [[U]], [[V]], and [[W]]. See [[F]] for details. The Greek and Latin alphabets developed from the [[Phoenician alphabet|Phoenician]] form of this early alphabet.
 
In Modern English, {{angbr|y}} can represent the same vowel sounds as the letter {{angbr|i}}. The use of {{angbr|y}} to represent a vowel is more restricted in Modern English than it was in Middle and early Modern English. It occurs mainly in the following three environments: [[Greek words in English#The written form of Greek words in English|for upsilon in Greek loan-words]] (''s'''y'''stem'': Greek σ'''ύ'''στημα), at the end of a word (''rye, city''; compare ''cities'', where S is final), and in place of I before the ending ''-ing'' (''dy-ing'', ''justify-ing'').
Since Late [[Middle English]], the letter Y came to be used in a number of words where earlier Middle English spelling contained the letter ''[[yogh]]'' (Ȝȝ), which developed from the letter [[G]], ultimately from Semitic ''[[gimel]]'' – as described below (As a side note - [[Modern Greek phonology|Modern Greek]] lowercase [[gamma]] {{angbr|'''γ'''}} is somewhat similarly shaped to the lowercase letter {{angbr|y}}).
 
===Vowel=Consonant====
As a consonant in English, {{angbr|y}} normally represents a [[palatal approximant]], {{IPA|/j/}} ('''''y'''ear'', '''''y'''ore''). In this usage, the letter Y has replaced the [[Middle English]] letter ''[[yogh]]'' (Ȝȝ), which developed from the letter [[G]], ultimately from Semitic ''[[gimel]]''. Yogh could also represent other sounds, such as {{IPA|/ɣ/}}, which came to be written ''[[gh (digraph)|gh]]'' in Middle English.
The form of the modern letter Y is derived from the Greek letter ''[[upsilon]]''. It dates back to the Latin of the first century BC, when upsilon was introduced a second time, this time with its "foot" to distinguish it. It was used to transcribe loanwords from the prestigious [[Attic Greek|Attic]] dialect of Greek, which had the non-Latin vowel sound {{IPA|/y/}} (as found in modern French ''cru'' (raw), or German ''grün'' (green)) in words that had been pronounced with {{IPA|/u/}} in earlier Greek. Because {{IPA|[y]}} was not a native sound of Latin, Latin speakers had trouble pronouncing it, and it was usually pronounced {{IPA|/i/}}.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} Some Latin words of [[Italic languages|Italic]] origin also came to be spelled with 'y': Latin ''silva'' ('forest') was commonly spelled ''sylva'', in analogy with the Greek cognate and synonym ''ὕλη''.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]] Second edition, 1989; online version June 2011, ''s.v.'' 'sylva'</ref>
 
====Confusion in writing with the letter ''thorn''====
The letter Y was used to represent the sound {{IPA|/y/}} in the writing systems of some other languages that adopted the Latin alphabet. In [[Old English]] and [[Old Norse]], there was a native {{IPA|/y/}} sound, and so Latin U, Y and I were all used to represent distinct vowel sounds. But, by the time of [[Middle English]], {{IPA|/y/}} had lost its [[roundedness]] and became identical to I ({{IPA|/iː/}} and {{IPA|/ɪ/}}). Therefore, many words that originally had I were spelled with Y, and vice versa. The distinction between {{IPA|/y/}} and {{IPA|/i/}} was also lost in later [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] and [[Faroese language|Faroese]], making the distinction purely orthographic and historical, but not in the mainland [[Scandinavian languages]], where the distinction is retained. It may be observed that a similar merger of {{IPA|/y/}} into {{IPA|/i/}} happened in Greek around the beginning of the 2nd millennium, making the distinction between iota (Ι, ι) and upsilon (Υ, υ) purely a matter of historical spelling there as well. In the [[West Slavic languages]], Y was adapted as a sign for the close central unrounded vowel {{IPA|/ɨ/}}; later, {{IPA|/ɨ/}} merged with {{IPA|/i/}} in Czech and Slovak, whereas Polish retains it with the pronunciation {{IPA|[ɘ]}}. Similarly, in [[Middle Welsh]], Y came to be used to designate the vowels {{IPA|/ɨ/}} and {{IPA|/ɘ/}} in a way predictable from the position of the vowel in the word. Since then, {{IPA|/ɨ/}} has merged with {{IPA|/i/}} in Southern Welsh dialects, but {{IPA|/ɘ/}} is retained.
 
In Modern English, Y can represent the same vowel sounds as the letter I. The use of the letter Y to represent a vowel is more restricted in Modern English than it was in Middle and early Modern English. It occurs mainly in the following three environments: [[Greek words in English#The written form of Greek words in English|for upsilon in Greek loan-words]] (''s'''y'''stem'': Greek σ'''ύ'''στημα), at the end of a word (''rye, city''; compare ''cities'', where S is final), and in place of I before the ending ''-ing'' (''dy-ing'', ''justify-ing'').
 
===Consonant===
As a consonant in English, Y normally represents a [[palatal approximant]], {{IPA|/j/}} ('''''y'''ear'', '''''y'''ore''). In this usage, the letter Y has replaced the [[Middle English]] letter ''[[yogh]]'' (Ȝȝ), which could represent {{IPA|/j/}}. (Yogh could also represent other sounds, such as {{IPA|/ɣ/}}, which came to be written ''[[gh (digraph)|gh]]'' in Middle English.)
 
===Confusion in writing with the letter ''thorn''===
When printing was introduced to Great Britain, [[William Caxton|Caxton]] and other English printers used Y in place of Þ ([[thorn (letter)|thorn]]: Modern English ''th''), which did not exist in continental [[typeface]]s. From this convention comes the spelling of ''the'' as ''ye'' in the mock archaism ''[[Ye olde|Ye Olde Shoppe]]''. But, in spite of the spelling, pronunciation was the same as for modern ''the'' (stressed {{IPA|/ðiː/}}, unstressed {{IPA|/ðə/}}). Pronouncing the article ''ye'' as ''yee'' ({{IPA|/jiː/}}) is purely a modern [[spelling pronunciation]].<ref>{{Citation
| contribution = Ye
Line 138 ⟶ 155:
</ref>
 
===Other languages===
==Pronunciation and use==
In some of the [[Nordic languages]], {{angbr|y}} is used to represent the sound {{IPA|/y/}}. The distinction between {{IPA|/y/}} and {{IPA|/i/}} has been lost in [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] and [[Faroese language|Faroese]], making the distinction purely orthographic and historical. A similar merger of {{IPA|/y/}} into {{IPA|/i/}} happened in Greek around the beginning of the 2nd millennium, making the distinction between iota (Ι, ι) and upsilon (Υ, υ) purely a matter of historical spelling there as well. The distinction is retained in [[Danish language|Danish]], [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], and [[Swedish language|Swedish]].
 
In the [[West Slavic languages]], {{angbr|y}} was adopted as a sign for the close central unrounded vowel {{IPA|/ɨ/}}; later, {{IPA|/ɨ/}} merged with {{IPA|/i/}} in Czech and Slovak, whereas Polish retains it with the pronunciation {{IPA|[ɘ]}}. Similarly, in [[Middle Welsh]], {{angbr|y}} came to be used to designate the vowels {{IPA|/ɨ/}} and {{IPA|/ɘ/}} in a way predictable from the position of the vowel in the word. Since then, {{IPA|/ɨ/}} has merged with {{IPA|/i/}} in Southern Welsh dialects, but {{IPA|/ɘ/}} is retained.
 
==Use in writing systems==
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+ Pronunciation of {{angbr|y}} by language
|+Pronunciations of Yy
! Orthography
! Phonemes
|-
! [[Afrikaans alphabet|Afrikaans]]
!Language
| {{IPA|/əi/}}
!Dialect(s)
!Pronunciation ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]])
!Environment
!Notes
|-
! [[Albanian orthography|Albanian]]
! colspan="2" |[[Afrikaans]]
| {{IPAslink|y}}
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|/əi/}}
|
|
|-
! [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]]
! colspan="2" |[[Albanian language|Albanian]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|yiː}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Azerbaijani languagealphabet|Azerbaijani]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|j}}
|
|
|-
! [[Chamorro alphabet|Chamorro]]
! colspan="2" rowspan="3" |[[Cornish language|Cornish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|id͡z}}
|Usually
|
|-
! {{nwr|[[Standard Chinese]]}} ([[pinyin]])
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɪ}}
| {{IPAslink|j}}
|Before multiple consonants
|
|-
! [[Cornish orthography|Cornish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|j}}
| {{IPAslink|i}}, {{IPAslink|ɪ}}, {{IPAslink|j}}
|Before vowels
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Czech languageorthography|Czech]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|i}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |[[Danish languageorthography|Danish]]
| style="text-align: center;" {{IPAslink|y}}, {{IPAslink|ʏ}}
|Before multiple consonants
|
|-
! [[Dutch orthography|Dutch]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|y}}
| {{IPA|/ɛi/}}, {{IPAslink|i}}, {{IPAslink|ɪ}}, {{IPAslink|j}}
|Usually
|
|-
! [[English orthography|English]]
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |[[Dutch language|Dutch]]
| {{IPAslink|ɪ}}, {{IPA|/aɪ/}}, {{IPAslink|i}}, {{IPAslink|ə}}, {{IPAslink|ɜː}}, {{IPA|/aɪə/}}, {{IPAslink|j}}
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|/ɛi/}}
|
|Variant writing of <[[IJ (digraph)|ij]]>
|-
! [[Faroese orthography|Faroese]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|i}}, {{IPAslink|ɪ}}, {{IPAslink|j}}
| {{IPA|/ʊi/}}, {{IPAslink|ɪ}}
|In loanwords
|
|-
! [[Finnish orthography|Finnish]]
! colspan="2" rowspan="4" |[[English language|English]]
| {{IPAslink|y}}
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|/aɪ/}}
|In a stressed open syllable; sometimes in an unstressed open syllable
|
|-
! [[German orthography|German]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|j}}
| {{IPAslink|y}}, {{IPAslink|ʏ}}, {{IPAslink|j}}
|Before vowels
|
|-
! [[Guarani alphabet|Guarani]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|i}}
| {{IPAslink|ɨ}}
|Unstressed at the end after a consonant or "E"
|
|-
! [[Icelandic orthography|Icelandic]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɪ}}
| {{IPAslink|ɪ}}
|Unstressed; stressed before a consonant
|
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |[[FaroeseKhasi language|FaroeseKhasi]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɪʔ}}
|Before two consonants
|
|-
! [[Lithuanian orthography|Lithuanian]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPA|/ʊi/}}
| {{IPAslink|iː}}
|Usually
|
|-
! [[Malagasy alphabet|Malagasy]]
! colspan="2" |[[Finnish language|Finnish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|yi}}
|
|
|-
! [[Manx orthography|Manx]]
! rowspan="4" |[[German language|German]]
| {{IPAslink|ə}}
![[Alemannic German|Alemannic]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|iː}}
|
|
|-
! [[Norwegian orthography|Norwegian]]
! rowspan="3" |[[Standard German|Standard]]
| style="text-align: center;" {{IPAslink|y}}, {{IPAslink|jʏ}}
|In some words
|
|-
! [[Polish orthography|Polish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ʏ}}
| {{IPAslink|ɨ}}
|Before two consonants
|
|-
! [[Slovak orthography|Slovak]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|y}}
| {{IPAslink|i}}
|Usually
|
|-
! [[Spanish orthography|Spanish]]
! colspan="2" |[[Guarani language|Guaraní]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɨʝ}}
|
|
|-
! [[Swedish orthography|Swedish]]
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |[[Icelandic language|Icelandic]]
| style="text-align: center;"{{IPAslink|y}}, {{IPAslink|ʏ}}, {{IPAslink|iːj}}
|
|
|-
! [[Turkish alphabet|Turkish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɪ}}
| {{IPAslink|j}}
|
|
|-
! [[Turkmen orthography|Turkmen]]
! colspan="2" |[[Khasi language|Khasi]]
| style="text-align: center;" |{{IPAslink|ʔɯ}}
| before vowels
|
|-
! [[Uzbek alphabet|Uzbek]]
! colspan="2" |[[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|iːj}}
|
|
|-
! [[Vietnamese orthography|Vietnamese]]
! colspan="2" |[[Malagasy language|Malagasy]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|i}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Manx language|Manx]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ə}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |[[Norwegian language|Norwegian]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ʏ}}
|Before multiple consonants
|
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|y}}
|Usually
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Polish language|Polish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɨ}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Slovak language|Slovak]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|i}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="3" |[[Spanish language|Spanish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|i}}
|As a standalone word, after vowels in diphthongs, in archaic spelling of proper names
|
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɟʝ}}
|Before vowels, word-initially
|
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ʝ}}
|Before vowels
|
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |[[Swedish language|Swedish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ʏ}}
|Before multiple consonants
|
|-
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|y}}
|Usually
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Turkish language|Turkish]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|j}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Turkmen language|Turkmen]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɯ}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Uzbek language|Uzbek]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|j}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]]
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|i}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Welsh language|Welsh]]
!Northern
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɨ̞}}, {{IPAslink|ɨː}}, {{IPAslink|ə}}
|
|
|-
!Southern
| style="text-align: center;" | {{IPAslink|ɪ}}, {{IPAslink|iː}}, {{IPAslink|ə}}, {{IPAslink|əː}}
|
|
|-
! [[Welsh orthography|Welsh]]
| {{IPAslink|ɨ̞}} or {{IPAslink|ɪ}}, {{IPAslink|ɨː}} or {{IPAslink|iː}}, {{IPAslink|ə}}, {{IPAslink|ə}} or {{IPAslink|əː}}
|}
 
===English===
As {{IPAc-en|j}}:
* at the beginning of a word, as in ''yes''
* at the beginning of a syllable before a vowel, as in ''beyond'', ''lawyer'', ''canyon''
As {{IPAc-en|aɪ}}:
* under stress in an open syllable, as in ''my'', ''type'', ''rye'', ''lying'', ''pyre'', ''tyre'', ''typhoon''
* in a stressed open syllable, as in ''hyphen'', ''cycle'', ''cylon''
* in a pretonic open syllable, as in ''hypothesis'', ''psychologist''
* word-finally after a consonant in some words, assuch inas ''ally'', ''unify''
As {{IPAc-en|i}}:
* without stress at the end of multi-syllable word, as in ''happy'', ''baby'', ''lucky'', ''accuracy''
* used as a part of the [[diphthongdigraph (orthography)|digraph]] in combination with ''e''{{angbr|ey}} at the end of some words, as in ''money'', ''key'', ''valley''
As non-syllabic {{IPA|[ɪ̯]}} (part of the [[diphthong]]s {{IPAc-en|eɪ}}, {{IPAc-en|ɔɪ}}):
* inafter [[diphthong]]svowels at the end of words, as in ''play'', ''grey'', ''boy''
As {{IPAc-en|ɪ}}:
* in a closed syllable without stress and with stress as in ''myth'', ''system'', ''gymnastics''
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{{angbr|y}} represents the sounds {{IPA|/y/}} or {{IPA|/ʏ/}} (sometimes long) in the [[Scandinavian language]]s. In [[Danish language|Danish]] and [[Swedish language|Swedish]], its use as a semivowel is limited to [[loanword]]s, whereas in [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]], it appears as a semivowel in native words such as ''høyre'' {{IPA|/²hœʏ̯.rə/}}.
 
[[File:2024-05 Uitrit vrijlaten Dutch sign ZvD.jpg|thumb|Dutch sign written with ''UITRIT VRIJLATEN'', "keep exit clear". Y is traditionally used for IJ because it looks similar in [[Cursive|cursive writing]].]]
In [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[German language|German]], {{angbr|y}} appears only in [[loanword]]s and [[proper name]]s.
In [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and [[German language|German]], {{angbr|y}} appears only in [[loanword]]s and [[proper name]]:
* In Dutch, it usually represents {{IPA|/i/}}. It may sometimes be left out of the [[Dutch alphabet]] and replaced with the {{angbr|[[IJ (digraph)|ij]]}} digraph, representing the diphthong {{IPA |[ɛi]}}. In addition, {{angbr|y}} and {{angbr|ÿ}} are occasionally used instead of Dutch {{angbr|IJ}} and {{angbr|ij}}, although this spelling is archaic.
* In [[German orthography]], the pronunciation {{IPA|/yː/}} has taken hold since the 19th century in classical loanwords – for instance in words like ''typisch'' {{IPA|/ˈtyːpɪʃ/}} 'typical', ''Hyäne'', ''Hysterie'', ''mysteriös'', ''Syndrom'', ''System'', and ''Typ''. It is also used for the sound {{IPA|/j/}} in loanwords, such as ''Yacht'' (variation spelling: '''''J'''acht''), ''Yak'', and ''Yeti''. However, ''yo-yo'' is spelled "'''''J'''o-'''J'''o''" in German, and ''yoghurt''/''yogurt''/''yoghourt'' is "'''''J'''oghurt''". The letter {{angbr|y}} is also used in many geographical names, e.g. ''Bayern'' Bavaria, ''Ägypten'' Egypt, ''Libyen'' Libya, ''Paraguay'', ''Syrien'' Syria, ''Uruguay'', and ''Zypern'' Cyprus (but '''''J'''emen'' for ''Yemen'' and '''''J'''ugoslawien'' for ''Yugoslavia''). Especially in German names, the pronunciations {{IPA|/iː/}} or {{IPA|/ɪ/}} occur as well; for instance, in the name ''[[Meyer (surname)|Meyer]]'', where it serves as a variant of {{angbr|i}}, {{Cf.}}''[[Meier (surname)|Meier]]'', another common spelling of the name. In German, the y is preserved in the plural form of some loanwords such as ''Bab'''y'''s'', 'bab'''ie'''s' and ''Part'''y'''s'', 'part'''ie'''s'.
 
A {{angbr|y}} that derives from the {{angbr|ij}} ligature occurs in the [[Afrikaans language]], a descendant of Dutch, and in [[Alemannic German]] names. In Afrikaans, it denotes the diphthong {{IPA|[əi]}}. In Alemannic German names, it denotes long {{IPA|/iː/}}, for instance in ''[[Schnyder]]'' {{IPA|de|ˈʃniːdər|}} or ''[[Schwyz]]'' {{IPA|de|ˈʃʋiːts|}} – the cognate non-Alemannic German names ''[[Schneider (surname)|Schneider]]'' {{IPA|de|ˈʃnaɪdər|}} or ''[[Schweiz]]'' {{IPA|de|ʃʋaɪts|}} have the diphthong {{IPA|/aɪ/}} that developed from long {{IPA|/iː/}}.
In Dutch, it usually represents {{IPA|/i/}}. It may sometimes be left out of the [[Dutch alphabet]] and replaced with the {{angbr|[[IJ (digraph)|ij]]}} digraph. In addition, {{angbr|y}} and {{angbr|ÿ}} are occasionally used instead of Dutch {{angbr|IJ}} and {{angbr|ij}}, albeit very rarely.
 
In [[Hungarian orthography]], y is only used in the digraphs "gy", "ly", "ny", "ty", in some surnames (e.g. ''Bátory''), and in foreign words.
In [[German orthography]], the pronunciation {{IPA|/yː/}} has taken hold since the 19th century in classical loanwords – for instance in words like ''typisch'' {{IPA|/ˈtyːpɪʃ/}} 'typical', ''Hyäne, Hysterie, mysteriös, Syndrom, System, Typ''. It is also used for the sound {{IPA|/j/}} in loanwords, such as ''Yacht (variation spelling: '''J'''acht), Yak, Yeti''; however, e.g. yo-yo is spelled "'''''J'''o-'''J'''o''" in German, and yoghurt/yogurt/yoghourt "'''''J'''og(h)urt''" [mostly spelled with h<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Joghurt | title=Joghurt, Jogurt, der, die oder das | access-date=20 January 2021 | archive-date=18 January 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118163900/https://www.duden.de/rechtschreibung/Joghurt | url-status=live }}</ref>]). The letter {{angbr|y}} is also used in many geographical names, e.g. ''Bayern'' Bavaria, ''Ägypten'' Egypt, ''Libyen'' Libya, ''Paraguay'', ''Syrien'' Syria, ''Uruguay'', ''Zypern'' Cyprus (but: '''''J'''emen'' Yemen, '''''J'''ugoslawien'' Yugoslavia). Especially in German names, the pronunciations {{IPA|/iː/}} or {{IPA|/ɪ/}} occur as well – for instance in the name ''[[Meyer (surname)|Meyer]]'', where it serves as a variant of {{angbr|i}}, cf. ''[[Meier]]'', another common spelling of the name. In German the y is preserved in the plural form of some loanwords such as ''Bab'''y'''s'' bab'''ie'''s and ''Part'''y'''s'' part'''ie'''s, celebrations.
 
A {{angbr|y}} that derives from the {{angbr|ij}} ligature occurs in the [[Afrikaans language]], a descendant of Dutch, and in [[Alemannic German]] names. In Afrikaans, it denotes the diphthong {{IPA|[əi]}}. In Alemannic German names, it denotes long {{IPA|/iː/}}, for instance in ''[[Schnyder]]'' {{IPA-de|ˈʃniːdər|}} or ''[[Schwyz]]'' {{IPA-de|ˈʃʋiːts|}} – the cognate non-Alemannic German names ''[[Schneider (surname)|Schneider]]'' {{IPA-de|ˈʃnaɪdər|}} or ''[[Schweiz]]'' {{IPA-de|ʃʋaɪts|}} have the diphthong {{IPA|/aɪ/}} that developed from long {{IPA|/iː/}}.
 
In [[Hungarian orthography]], y is only used in the digraphs "gy," "ly," "ny," "ty," in some surnames (e. g. ''Bátory''), and in foreign words.
 
In [[Icelandic orthography|Icelandic writing system]], due to the loss of the Old Norse rounding of the vowel {{IPA|/y/}}, the letters {{angbr|y}} and {{angbr|ý}} are now pronounced identically to the letters {{angbr|i}} and {{angbr|í}}, namely as {{IPA|/ɪ/}} and {{IPA|/i/}} respectively. The difference in spelling is thus purely etymological. In [[Faroese language|Faroese]], too, the contrast has been lost, and {{angbr|y}} is always pronounced {{IPA|/i/}}, whereas the accented versions {{angbr|ý}} and {{angbr|í}} designate the same diphthong {{IPA|/ʊi/}} (shortened to {{IPA|/u/}} in some environments). In both languages, it can also form part of diphthongs such as {{angbr|ey}} (in both languages), pronounced {{IPA|/ei/}}, and {{angbr|oy}}, pronounced {{IPA|/ɔi/}} (Faroese only).
 
In [[French orthography]], {{angbr|y}} is pronounced as {{IPA|[i]}} when a vowel (as in the words ''cycle'', ''y'') and as {{IPA|[j]}} as a consonant (as in ''yeux'', ''voyez''). It alternates orthographically with {{angbr|i}} in the conjugations of some verbs, indicating a {{IPA|[j]}} sound. In most cases when {{angbr|y}} follows a vowel, it modifies the pronunciation of the vowel: {{angbr|ay}} {{IPA|[ɛ]}}, {{angbr|oy}} {{IPA|[wa]}}, {{angbr|uy}} {{IPA|[ɥi]}}. The letter {{angbr|y}} has double function (modifying the vowel as well as being pronounced as {{IPA|[j]}} or {{IPA|[i]}}) in the words ''payer'', ''balayer'', ''moyen'', ''essuyer'', ''pays'', etc., but in some words it has only a single function: {{IPA|[j]}} in ''bayer'', ''mayonnaise'', ''coyote''; modifying the vowel at the end of proper names like ''Chardonnay'' and ''Fourcroy''. In French, {{angbr|y}} can have a [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|diaeresis]] (''tréma'') as in [[Moÿ-de-l'Aisne]].
[[File:Santiago de Parada, Nigrán, YGLESIA DE REFVGIO 1835.jpg|thumb|This church at [[Nigrán]], Spain, is labeled as {{lang|es-ES|YGLESIA DE REFVGIO}}. It would be {{lang|es|iglesia de refugio}} ("[[sanctuary]] church") in modern orthography.|alt=A niche with a white statue of Saint James. Under it, the top of a gate is visible. On it is engraved "YGLESIA DE REFVGIO"]]
In [[Spanish orthography|Spanish]], {{angbr|y}} was used as a word-initial form of {{angbr|i}} that was more visible. (German has used {{angbr|j}} in a similar way.) Hence, {{lang|es|[[yoke and arrows|el yugo y las flechas]]}} was a symbol sharing the initials of [[Isabella I of Castille]] ({{lang|osp|Ysabel}}) and [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]]. This spelling was reformed by the [[Royal Spanish Academy]] and currently is only found in proper names spelled archaically, such as [[Ybarra]] or [[CYII]], the symbol of the {{lang|es-ES|[[Canal de Isabel II]]}}. Appearing alone as a word, the letter {{angbr|y}} is a [[grammatical conjunction]] with the meaning "[[Conjunction (grammar)|and]]" in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and is pronounced {{IPA|/i/}}. As a consonant, {{angbr|y}} represents {{IPAblink|ʝ}} in Spanish. The letter is called {{lang|es-ES|i/y griega}}, literally meaning "Greek I", after the Greek letter [[ypsilon]], or {{lang|es|ye}}.
 
In [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], {{angbr|y}} (called ''ípsilon'' in [[Brazil]], and either ''ípsilon'' or ''i grego'' in [[Portugal]]) was, together with {{angbr|k}} and {{angbr|w}}, recently reintroduced as the 25th letter, and 19th consonant, of the [[Portuguese alphabet]], in consequence of the [[Portuguese Language Orthographic Agreement of 1990]]. It is mostly used in loanwords from English, [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and Spanish. Loanwords in general, primarily [[gallicism]]s in both varieties, are more common in [[Brazilian Portuguese]] than in [[European Portuguese]]. It was always common for Brazilians to stylize [[Tupi language|Tupi]]-influenced names of their children with the letter (which is present in most Romanizations of [[Old Tupi]]) e.g. Guaracy, Jandyra, Mayara – though placenames and loanwords derived from indigenous origins had the letter substituted for {{angbr|[[i]]}} over time e.g. ''Nictheroy'' became ''[[Niterói]]''. Usual pronunciations are {{IPAslink|i}}, {{IPAblink|j}}, {{IPAblink|ɪ}} and {{IPAslink|ɯ|ɨ}} (the two latter ones are inexistent in European and Brazilian Portuguese varieties respectively, being both substituted by {{IPAslink|i}} in other dialects). The letters {{angbr|[[i]]}} and {{angbr|y}} are regarded as phonemically not dissimilar, though the first corresponds to a vowel and the latter to a consonant, and both can correspond to a [[semivowel]] depending on its place in a word.
Usual pronunciations are {{IPAslink|i}}, {{IPAblink|j}}, {{IPAblink|ɪ}} and {{IPAslink|ɯ|ɨ}} (the two latter ones are inexistent in European and Brazilian Portuguese varieties respectively, being both substituted by {{IPAslink|i}} in other dialects). The letters {{angbr|[[i]]}} and {{angbr|y}} are regarded as phonemically not dissimilar, though the first corresponds to a vowel and the latter to a consonant, and both can correspond to a [[semivowel]] depending on its place in a word.
 
[[Italian language|Italian]], too, has {{angbr|y}} (''ipsilon'') in a small number of loanwords. The letter is also common in some surnames native to the German-speaking province of Bolzano, such as Mayer or Mayr.
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In [[Polish language|Polish]], it represents the vowel {{IPAblink|ɘ}} (or, according to some descriptions, {{IPAblink|ɨ̞}}), which is clearly different from {{IPAblink|i}}, e.g. ''my'' (we) and ''mi'' (me). No native Polish word begins with {{angbr|y}}; very few foreign words keep {{angbr|y}} at the beginning, e.g. ''yeti'' (pronounced {{IPA|[ˈjɛtʲi]}}).
 
In [[Czech language|Czech]] and [[Slovak language|Slovak]], the distinction between the vowels expressed by {{angbr|y}} and {{angbr|i}}, as well as by {{angbr|ý}} and {{angbr|í}} has been lost (similarly to Icelandic and Faroese), but the consonants ''d, t, n'' (also ''l'' in Slovak) before orthographic (and historical) {{angbr|y}} are not palatalized, whereas they are before {{angbr|i}}. Therefore, {{angbr|y}} is called ''tvrdé y'' (hard y), while {{angbr|i}} is ''měkké i'' (soft i). {{angbr|ý}} can never begin any word, while {{angbr|y}} can never begin a native word.
 
In [[Welsh language|Welsh]], it is usually pronounced {{IPAblink|ə}} in non-final syllables and {{IPAblink|ɨ}} or {{IPAblink|i}} (depending on the accent) in final syllables.
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In the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]], {{angbr IPA|y}} corresponds to the [[close front rounded vowel]], and the related character {{angbr IPA|ʏ}} corresponds to the [[near-close near-front rounded vowel]].
 
==Other uses==
The [[SI prefix]] for [[Orders of magnitude (numbers)#1024|10<sup>24</sup>]] is [[yotta]], abbreviated by the letter Y.
{{main article|Y (disambiguation)}}
* In [[mathematics]], ''y'' is commonly used as the name for a [[dependent variable]]. The modern tradition of using ''x'', ''y'' and ''z'' to represent an [[Unknown (mathematics)|unknown (''incognita'')]] was introduced by [[René Descartes]] in ''[[La Géométrie]]'' (1637).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_byqAAAAQBAJ&q=unknown&pg=PA380 |title=A History of Mathematical Notations |first=Florian |last=Cajori |publisher=Open Court Publishing |year=1928 |place=Chicago |page=381 |isbn=9780486161167 |access-date=2020-11-22 |archive-date=2021-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413173747/https://books.google.com/books?id=_byqAAAAQBAJ&q=unknown&pg=PA380 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* The [[SI prefix]] for [[Orders of magnitude (numbers)#1024|10<sup>24</sup>]] is [[yotta]], abbreviated by the letter Y.
 
==Related characters==
[[File:Y-like European letters.svg|thumb|[[U (Cyrillic)|Cyrillic '''У''']], Latin '''Y''' and [[Upsilon|Greek '''Υ''' and '''ϒ''']] in [[w:GNU FreeFont|FreeSerif]] – one of the few typefaces that distinguish between the Latin and the Greek form]]
[[File:Station Rijssen.jpg|thumb|The Dutch [[IJ (digraph)|digraph IJ]] is sometimes written like a [[U (Cyrillic)|Cyrillic У]].]]
<!-- Please only list characters (symbols in a writing system, but not just convenience code points in Unicode) that are actually related in terms of origin to the letter that is the topic of this article. Characters that merely look subjectively similar need not apply. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources before adding more. -->
 
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===Ancestors and siblings in other alphabets===
*𐤅: [[Phoenician alphabet|Semitic]] letter [[Waw (letter)|Waw]], from which the following symbols originally derive:
**Υ υ : [[Greek alphabet|Greek]] letter [[Upsilon]], from which Y derives
***{{Script|Copt|Ⲩ ⲩ}} : [[Coptic alphabet|Coptic]] letter epsilon/he (not to be confused with the unrelated Greek letter Ε ε called [[epsilon]])
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{{anchor|Technical notes}}
 
== Other representations ==
==Computing codes==
=== Computing <span class="anchor" id="Computing codes"></span> ===
{{charmap
| 0059 | 0079 | FF39 | FF59 | name1 = Latin Capital Letter Y | name2 = Latin Small Letter Y | name3 = FULLWIDTH LATIN CAPITAL LETTER Y | name4 = FULLWIDTH LATIN SMALL LETTER Y
| map1 = [[EBCDIC]] family | map1char1 = E8 | map1char2 = A8
| map2 = [[ASCII]]{{Efn|Also for encodings based on ASCII, including the DOS, Windows, ISO-8859 and Macintosh families of encodings.}} | map2char1 = 59 | map2char2 = 79
}}
 
===Other===
On the standard US/UK keyboard Y is the sixth letter of the top row; On the [[QWERTZ]] keyboard used in Central Europe it is replaced there by Z, and is itself positioned at the bottom left.
 
==Other representations==
{{Letter other reps
|NATO=Yankee
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