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

one / single / a (article) / as soon as / entire; whole; all; throughout / "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1) / also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit

Maud Younger (y) forgot her keys to the space station (Ø1), all she brought outside was her flute (一). She has no choice but to crash the door with the giant flute.
easy / amiable / to change / to exchange / prefix corresponding to the English adjective suffix "-able" or "-ible" / abbr. for 易經|易经[Yi4 jing1], the Book of Changes

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a really easy puzzle consisting of only two parts.

Maud Younger (y) and the sun (日) are trying to complete a really easy puzzle (易) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). It's not as easy as they thought though, because in zero gravity they can only move with the help of their bat wings (勿).
to follow / from / because of / due to / by / via / through / (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...

= + : Mnemonic symbol: 自由古巴, a cuba libre. The character 由 itself even looks like a cuba libre.

Maud Younger (y) is taking part in a charity auction in the outhouse's kitchen (ou2). She is auctioning the dinosaur bone (丨) next to her and is speaking into a microphone (曰). In the other hand she is holding a cuba libre (由), and she is already quite drunk.
to follow / from / because of; due to / by; via; through / (before a noun and a verb) it is for ... to ...
surname Ye

= + : Maud Younger (y) practised a trick shot all day in the elevator's bathroom (e4). She's now able to throw a leaf (叶) high in the air, then quickly throw a mandarin (口) and beat the mandarin with a cross (十) like a baseball with a bat so that the mandarin rips a hole right into the leaf.
leaf / page / lobe / (historical) period / classifier for small boats

= + : Maud Younger (y) practised a trick shot all day in the elevator's bathroom (e4). She's now able to throw a leaf (叶) high in the air, then quickly throw a mandarin (口) and beat the mandarin with a cross (十) like a baseball with a bat so that the mandarin rips a hole right into the leaf.
cause / reason / because

= + : Mnemonic symbol: the close reasoner René Descartes.

= + : In front of the encampment, René Descartes, Maud Younger and a robot a starting a big rave. The robot sits inside a big box and is the master of ceremony, while René and Maud are dancing on the square. They started this rave to collect money for a good cause.
old variant of 因[yin1]
chair

= + : Maud Younger (y) is celebrating Christmas in the space station (Ø3) with a Christmas tree (木). She has a very enjoyable and relaxed Christmas just sitting on a chair (椅) and drinking a cappuccino (奇).
flame / inflammation / -itis

= : Maud Younger ate too much just inside anthill. She's sleeping so hard that she doesn't even wake up from the fire which is spreading fast.

= : Mnemonic symbol: As I just learned "itis" is the feeling you get after eating too much.
cigarette or pipe tobacco / CL:根[gen1] / smoke / mist / vapour / CL:縷|缕[lü3] / tobacco plant / (of the eyes) to be irritated by smoke

= + : Maud Younger (y) is giving René Descartes (因) fire (火) for his tobacco (烟) pipe in front of the anthill (an1).
to choke (in crying)
to swallow

= + : Maud Younger (y) and René Descartes (因) are preparing to swallow (咽) a whole mandarin each (口) in the anthill's bathroom (an4).
throat; pharynx / narrow pass
narrow pass / throat / pharynx
variant of 嚥|咽[yan4]

= + : Maud Younger (y) and René Descartes (因) are preparing to swallow (咽) a whole mandarin each (口) in the anthill's bathroom (an4).
center / end / to beg / to plead

= + : Mnemonic symbol: 中央处理机, central processing unit (CPU).

In front of the anglepod, Maud Younger received her new robot. Soon she is not satisfied with his artificial intelligence; to increase it, she staples a CPU to the center of its chest, although the robot begs her not to do so.
old variant of 映[ying4]

= + : Maud Younger's (y) CPU (央) is defect and she wants to find out how exactly. The sun (日) helps her investigate the chip's nanostructures by projecting (映) it on the wall of the engine's bathroom ((e)ng4).
to reflect (light) / to shine / to project (an image onto a screen etc)

= + : Maud Younger's (y) CPU (央) is defect and she wants to find out how exactly. The sun (日) helps her investigate the chip's nanostructures by projecting (映) it on the wall of the engine's bathroom ((e)ng4).
shoots / sprouts

= + : In front of the anglepod (ang1) Maud Younger (y) wants to create even more anglepods, and she wants to do so very efficiently. She plants one shoot (秧) in a bowl of cereals (禾) and connects a CPU (央) to monitor the growth.