Kids shoe sizing

Kids shoe size 3Y in UK, EU and cm

A kids US 3Y shoe is a UK 2 and an EU 34.5, a foot length of 21.9 cm, which fits most children around 9 years.

Kids 3Y in every system

Kids US 3Y written out in UK, EU, foot length and indicative age.
USUKEUFoot (cm)Age
3Y234.521.99 years

Sizes near kids 3Y

Kids shoe sizes around US 3Y, with UK, EU, foot length and indicative age.
USUKEUFoot (cm)Age
2Y133.520.98 years
2.5Y1.53421.68 to 9 years
3Y234.521.99 years
3.5Y2.53522.49 to 10 years
4Y33622.910 years
Kids 1.5YKids 2YKids 2.5YKids 3.5YKids 4YKids 4.5Y

The age column is indicative only. Two children of the same age can be several sizes apart, so measure the longer foot and buy to that length plus about half a centimetre.

What size 3Y actually means

Kids US 3Y is a youth size built for a 21.9 cm foot. The UK number for the same length is 2 and the EU number is 34.5. Those three labels describe one shoe, they just count differently: the UK and US children's scales run in thirds of an inch from a different starting point, and the EU scale runs in Paris points, two thirds of a centimetre per size. Foot length is the part that does not move, which is why it is the column worth trusting when a brand's own chart disagrees.

Because this is a youth size, it also overlaps adult sizing. A 21.9 cm foot in an adult chart is around UK 3, so an older child can often buy from either range and should compare the centimetre figure rather than the number on the box. That overlap is where most sizing mistakes happen, since a youth 5 and an adult 5 are not the same shoe: this size is a kids UK 2, which is a different scale from the adult UK number.

For the whole range in one table see the youth shoe size chart, or the full kids shoe size chart by age. To measure at home, see how to measure shoe size. Once a child moves past the youth range, the adult shoe size chart takes over at the same foot lengths.

Common questions

What is kids US 3Y in UK and EU sizes?

A kids US 3Y shoe is a UK 2 and an EU 34.5, a foot length of 21.9 cm, which fits most children around 9 years.

How many cm is a kids 3Y?

21.9 cm of foot length. Buy with about half a centimetre of growing room on top of that, so a child measuring 21.9 cm today is comfortable in this size for the next couple of months rather than out of it immediately.

What does the Y in 3Y mean?

Y stands for youth, sometimes printed as GS for grade school. The youth scale restarts at 1Y once a child outgrows the little-kid range, which is why a kids 13 and a youth 1Y are only about a centimetre apart. This size is 21.9 cm, the same length as an adult UK 3. Note that this is a kids UK 2, which is a different scale from the adult UK number.

How often should I re-measure?

Every two to three months for children under four, and every three to four months after that. Feet grow in bursts rather than steadily, so a size that fits well can become too short in a few weeks.

Last reviewed and updated on July 25, 2026. Conversion tables are checked against published international sizing standards.