La Ñ

The ñ (eñe) is a letter in its own right, not an n with a decoration, and the tilde is never optional. You already make the sound: it is the ny of canyon, the middle of onion and lasagna. It is one sound, an n that melts straight into a y.

For a plain n the tip of your tongue touches the ridge behind your upper teeth. For ñ the tip stays down and the middle of your tongue presses flat against the hard palate, the same place as for the y in yes.