What ﾕ means
Read it as ユ, pronounced “yu.” It is a halfwidth form of the same katakana, not a new syllable.
The encoding trail includes JIS C 6220 from 1969 and the one-byte JIS X 0201 set. These standards let Japanese text systems represent katakana alongside a Roman-character set.
Shift_JIS kept this one-byte set distinct from the multibyte JIS X 0208 set. Unicode preserves the relationship between ﾕ and ユ as a compatibility mapping.
When should I use ﾕ instead of ユ?
Use ﾕ when a format asks for halfwidth kana. It marks an input format, not a different tone.
As of 2026-09-14, published guidance differs by service: PayPay Bank rejects halfwidth kana in a fullwidth name field; e-Gov lists it among characters one application cannot handle; SBI Shinsei Bank accepts either width and converts it to fullwidth on confirmation.
Follow the field’s requested width and the registered spelling. In an ordinary message, ﾕ still reads as ユ; its narrow shape alone does not signal a different mood.
How do I type ﾕ?
On Microsoft Japanese IME, F8 converts selected katakana to halfwidth. This instruction was checked on 2026-09-14.
The halfwidth label describes a character property; the font controls how wide it looks on screen. Unicode NFKC normalization folds ﾕ and ユ together, though a form can still distinguish or reject the original input width.
A format choice for forms and older systems; use ユ in ordinary Japanese writing unless halfwidth is required.
As of 2026-09-14, a field requiring fullwidth kana may reject ﾕ.
Part of the collection
Who writes ﾕ
Loading…
Don't confuse it with
3
Questions people ask
1Can ﾕ and ユ be treated as the same?
It depends. Unicode NFKC normalization turns the two forms into the same string, but a field can still require one width and reject or convert the other.
More like this
9
How to type or find ﾕ
- Search it as
- ﾕ · 半角ユ · halfwidth yu · hankaku yu · halfwidth katakana · hankaku katakana · 半角カナ · 半角カタカナ
- Shows up in
- Anything that takes text · its shape is whatever your font draws
ﾕ\FF95Codes and encoding1 code points
A visible symbol can contain several code points. JS .length counts UTF-16 units; UTF-8 counts bytes.