半はん母ぼ音いん

noun

semivowel

Linguistics term for a speech sound that is phonetically similar to a vowel but functions as a consonant, such as the 'y' in 'yes' or the 'w' in 'we'.

• 日本にほん語ごの「や」の最さい初しょの音おんは半はん母ぼ音いんです。

  The first sound of Japanese 'ya' is a semivowel.