6Y is equal to size 6 in male shoes. However, 6Y will be similar to size 7.5 or 8 in ladies’ shoes. It is because of the 1.5-2 sizes difference between women’s and youth’s sizing.
You might all know that almost all shoe brands use numbers to indicate their shoe sizes. For example, in the United States, the standard shoe sizes will be 6, 6.5, 9. 10, 10.5, etc., while it will be 37, 38, 39, 40, etc., in Europe. These sizes are for adults’ shoes. So, what about kids’ shoe size?
Sometimes, you will see indicators on youth’s shoes, such as 13C, 6Y, 7Y, etc. What do these really mean? In this short post, I will clear up the meaning of 6Y in shoe size, what size it would be when converted to women’s and men’s shoe sizes. So, without any further ado, let’s find out the answer to the question, “What does 6Y mean in shoe size?”
What Does 6Y Mean In Shoe Size?
Different shoe brands will have a certain shoe size chart for their shoes. This is because each company targets customers from different countries in the world. So, shoe size charts in the United States will not be the same in Asian countries, like Korea, Japan, Chinese, etc. And, of course, they are also not familiar with European sizes.
Not to mention some shoe models are available in a wide range of sizing types, which are typically abbreviated in parentheses next to its name. In other words, instead of the traditional numerical size as you usually see (such as US 6.5, EU 38, etc.), you will see 6Y, 7Y, 8W, etc. So, you might wonder what does 6Y means in shoe size? Is it equivalent to size 6 in adults’ shoe sizes or not.
Broadly speaking, Y stands for youth when it comes to kids’ shoe sizes. This letter mostly appears in Nike children’s shoe sizes rather than other brands. But it doesn’t mean all other shoe brands don’t offer this kind of shoe size.
Simply put, 6Y represents size 6 in youth’s shoe sizes. And amazingly, it can be converted to adults’ shoe sizes, including women’s and men’s. For more details, let’s go through the following parts.
What Does 6Y In Men’s Shoe Size Mean?
So, by far, you know that 6Y means size 6 in kids’ shoe sizes. But what does 6Y mean in men’s shoe sizes? Is there any relationship between these sizes? In reality, children’s shoe sizes in the United States are built based on the scale of the US men’s shoe sizes. So, in this case, 6Y refers to size 6 in males’ shoe sizes.
While a lot of you might know that the variation between females’ and males’ shoe sizes is 1.5 sizes in length. For instance, if you typically wear a size 7 in women’s shoes, then you will wear size 5.5 in men’s shoes. However, there is no difference in length when comparing kids’ shoe sizes and men’s.
As mentioned above, men’s shoe sizes are considered the standard sizing system to build a shoe size chart for kids’ shoe size in the US. But you need to remember that it only applies to the shoes’ length, not width. And the youth size (abbreviated as Y) is produced for children’s feet, whereas adult sizes are made for adults.
Below is the shoe size conversion chart between men’s and youth’s shoe sizes in the United States.
What Does 6Y In Women’s Shoe Size Mean?
As stated earlier, kids’ shoe sizes are the same in length as men’s shoe sizes. For example, size 6Y in youth’s shoes is equivalent to size 7 in a man’s shoes. Nevertheless, there is a small variation between size 6Y in women’s shoe size. Specifically, the difference in ladies’ shoe sizes is 1.5-2 sizes larger than kids’ shoe sizes. For example, size 6Y corresponds to size 7.5 or 8 in female shoe sizes.
However, being 1.5 or 2 sizes depends on different shoe brands and shoe styles. For additional information, let’s look at the conversion table between women’s shoe sizes and kids’ below.
If you’ve ever wondered about shoe size conversions from kids’ sizes to women’s sizes, this conversion chart can come in handy. Understanding the relationships between letter meanings and numbers will come in handy too!
General Size Chart for Kids
While you might only look for the meaning of 6Y in shoe sizes, you still want to know the kids’ shoe sizes in detail. This is because it allows you to easily convert from youth shoe sizes to women/men shoe sizes and vice versa.
You will not need to look at the two shoe sizes chart for men/women and children at the same time. Simply add 1.5-2 sizes to get women’s shoe sizes and remaining the kids’ size, and you will get your equivalent men’s sizes.
Is Kids’ Shoe Size 6 The Same As Men’s?
While most shoe brands offer separate shoe size charts for men and women, youth shoe sizes typically use the same charts for both girls and boys. On the whole, you will find that the measurements in length of kids’ shoe sizes are similar to those in men’s shoe sizes. In other words, the children’s size 6Y simply means size 7 in men’s shoe sizes.
While size 6 in kids’ shoe size may appear similar to men’s shoe size, it is not the same. To avoid confusion, be sure to check the shoe size conversion chart to get the right fit. You can find a useful chart at Hood MWR to ensure you are selecting the correct size for your feet.
Is 6Y Youth Shoe Size The Same As 7.5 Women’s?
As a board rule, kids’ shoe sizes run 1.5-2 sizes narrower than females’ shoe sizes. So, if you want to buy a youth shoe but need a female’s shoe size, you just need to add 1.5 to 2 sizes from your normal size. For example, if you wear a pair of size 9 women’s shoes, you should get the size 7 or 7.5 in youth shoe size.
How to Convert from Youth’s Shoe Sizes to Adults’ Shoe Sizes?
Converting children’s shoe sizes to men’s or women’s shoe sizes is, in fact, a very simple practice. You almost don’t need to do anything to change from kids’ shoe sizes to male’s sizes because they are the same in length. All you need to do is to check the shoe width options. For instance, if your regular men’s shoe size is 6, then your corresponding kids’ size is also 6Y.
But when compared between children’s and ladies’ shoe sizes, there will be a little bit of difference in length. Of course, widths will be dissimilar, but we just discuss the foot and shoe length only in this article. Broadly speaking, youth’s shoe sizes tend to run 1.5 or 2 sizes narrower than ladies’ shoe sizes.
Specifically, a kid who usually wears size 6Y will properly fit in a size 7.5 or 8 in a female’s shoe. But you should still keep in mind to always measure your foot again to make sure you get the most accurate size.
So, if you want to change from your normal women’s shoe size to a kids’ shoe size, here is the general formula for you: your US ladies’ shoe size minus 1.5 or 2 sizes. But you should note that the measurements and size differences are applied to the US shoe sizing systems only.
And when you want to convert in the opposite direction, you can also use the above formula. In this case, simply add 1.5 or 2 sizes to your children’s shoe size, and you will get your equivalent female size. For instance, if you love a pair of 4Y size kids shoes, then the shoe in women’s size will be 5.5 or 6.
But, it is worth varying that this formula is only true for youth or big children shoe sizes, which are usually denoted as an additional letter Y after its size. If the kids’ shoe sizes are too small, it doesn’t work at all.
Youth Shoe Sizes to Adults’ Shoe Size Conversion
In most cases, it is great to use the general principle of “adults’ shoe sizes minus half of a size of 2 sizes” when converting kids’ shoe sizes and adults’. But in fact, when you look at the following conversion table, you will recognize that this formula is not always true.
Especially when your feet are between size or wider/narrower than the standard adults’ sizes, you should double-check women’s shoe size chart and kids’ shoe size chart for the best precise possible size.
| US Youth/Kids Shoe Sizes | US Women Shoe Sizes | US Men Shoe Sizes | Foot Length (cm) | Foot Length (inches) |
| 13C | 1.5-2 | 7.375 | 18.73 | |
| 13.5C | 2-2.5 | 0.5 | 7.5 | 19.05 |
| 1Y | 2.5-3 | 0.5-1 | 7.625 | 19.36 |
| 1.5Y | 3-3.5 | 1-1.5 | 7.875 | 20 |
| 2Y | 3.5-4 | 1.5-2 | 8 | 20.32 |
| 2.5Y | 4-4.5 | 2-2.5 | 8.25 | 20.95 |
| 3Y | 4.5-5 | 2.5-3 | 8.375 | 21.27 |
| 3.5Y | 5-5.5 | 3-3.5 | 8.5 | 21.59 |
| 4Y | 5.5-6 | 3.5-4 | 8.625 | 21.91 |
| 4.5Y | 6-6.5 | 4-4.5 | 8.875 | 22.54 |
| 5Y | 6.5-7 | 4.5-5 | 9 | 22.86 |
| 5.5Y | 7-7.5 | 5-5.5 | 9.25 | 23.49 |
| 6Y | 7.5-8 | 5.5-6 | 9.5 | 24.13 |
| 6.5Y | 8-8.5 | 6-6.5 | 9.67 | 24.56 |
| 7Y | 8.5-9 | 6.5-7 | 9.83 | 24.97 |
| 7.5Y | 9-9.5 | 7-7.5 | 10 | 25.4 |
| 8Y | 9.5-10 | 7.5-8 | 10.16 | 25.8 |
| 8.5Y | 10-10.5 | 8-8.5 | 10.33 | 26.24 |
| 9Y | 10.5-11 | 8.5-9 | 10.5 | 26.67 |
How Does The Children’s Shoe Size Conversion Chart To Adults’ Size Work?
It is considered the general rule that the big kids or youth shoe size system is built according to the US men’s shoe sizes. This means that when you have a size 6 in men’s shoes, then you will tend to keep the same 6Y in children’s shoe size.
On the contrary, when you subtract 1.5 or 2 sizes from your ladies’ shoe sizes, you will have your matching youth’s size. In like manner, you can use this general principle when converting from kids’ shoe sizes to female’s sizes. In this case, you just simply go up half of size or 2 sizes from your kids’ size, and you’ll get your equivalent women’s shoe sizes.
And, remember that this formula is only true when converting shoe sizes in length, not width. This is because some might have narrower, wider, or between widths. So, you might want to refer to the width sizes for more exact shoe sizes.
Conclusion
I hope that this article is useful for those who are looking for an answer to the question, “what does 6Y mean in shoe size?”. Basically, 6Y is the same as size 6 in men’s shoe sizes. However, 6Y is usually equal to size 7.5 or 8 when it comes to ladies’ shoe sizes. This little difference is due to the variation in shoe styles and brands.
