u

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See also U, ս, and Appendix:Variations of "u"

Contents

Translingual [edit]

LetterU.svg
Unicode name LATIN SMALL LETTER U
Codepoint U+0075
 t ← Basic Latin → v 

Etymology 1 [edit]

Latin V, from which U derived Minuscule variation of U, a modern variation of classical Latin V, from seventh century Old Latin adoption of Old Italic letter 𐌖 (V).

Letter [edit]

u lower case (upper case U)

  1. The twenty-first letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.
See also [edit]

Etymology 2 [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Symbol [edit]

u

  1. (metrology) symbol for unified atomic mass unit
  2. (phonetics) Used in the International Phonetic Alphabet and in several romanization systems of non-Latin scripts to represent a close back rounded vowel (IPA: /u/).

See also [edit]

Other representations of U:

  • Letter styles

  • Capital and lowercase versions of U, in normal and italic type

  • Uppercase and lowercase U in Fraktur

English [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚢ (u, “ur”)

From Middle English lower case letter v (also written u), from Old English lower case u, from 7th century replacement by lower case u of the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc letter ᚢ (u, “ur”), derived from Raetic letter u.

Before the 1700s, the pointed form v was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form u was used elsewhere, regardless of sound. So whereas valor and excuse appeared as in modern printing, have and upon were printed haue and vpon. Eventually, in the 1700s, to differentiate between the consonant and vowel sounds, the v form was used to represent the consonant, and u the vowel sound. v then preceded u in the alphabet, but the order has since reversed.

Pronunciation [edit]

Letter name
Phoneme
Phonetik.svg This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with enPR, IPA or SAMPA then please add some!
Particularly: “Canada”

Letter [edit]

u lowercase (uppercase U)

  1. The twenty-first letter of the English alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.
    I prefer the u in Arial to the one in Times New Roman.

See also [edit]

Noun [edit]

u (plural ues)

  1. The name of the Latin script letter U/u.
  2. A thing in the shape of the letter U

See also [edit]

Translations [edit]

name of the letter U, u

Derived terms [edit]

Pronoun [edit]

u second person, singular or plural, nominative or objective

  1. (abbreviation, slang, text messaging, Internet) you (in text messaging and internet conversations)
    Take me with u.

Abbreviation [edit]

u

  1. Underwater.

Derived terms [edit]

Afrikaans [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Dutch u / U.

Pronunciation [edit]

Pronoun [edit]

u (familiar jy)

  1. you (second-person singular formal subject pronoun)
  2. you (second-person singular formal object pronoun)
  3. your (second-person singular formal possessive pronoun)

See also [edit]

Afrikaans personal pronouns
subjective objective possessive
singular 1st ek my
2nd jy jou
2nd, formal u
3rd, masc hy hom sy
3rd, fem sy haar
3rd, neut dit sy
plural 1st ons
2nd julle julle / jul1
3rd hulle hulle / hul1
1. In the second and third persons plural, the usual possessive forms are julle and hulle (like the subjective and objective forms), but jul and hul are sometimes used instead when the sentence would otherwise be ambiguous.

Albanian [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Proto-Albanian *wa, from Proto-Indo-European *su̯om.

Pronoun [edit]

u

  1. reflexive pronoun

Asturian [edit]

Conjunction [edit]

u

  1. or

Pronoun [edit]

u

  1. where (relative pronoun)

Adverb [edit]

u

  1. where

Related terms [edit]

Azeri [edit]

Letter [edit]

u lower case (upper case U)

  1. The twenty-eighth letter of the Azeri alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also [edit]

Catalan [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

Noun [edit]

u f (plural us)

  1. The Latin letter U (lowercase u).

Etymology 2 [edit]

Noun [edit]

u m (plural uns)

  1. (cardinal) one

Corsican [edit]

Article [edit]

u m

  1. a, an

Related terms [edit]

Czech [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Preposition [edit]

u + genitive

  1. at
  2. by

Dutch [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Originally the accusative/dative form of jij/gij, from Middle Dutch u, from Old Dutch iu, from West Germanic *iwwiz, variant of Proto-Germanic *izwiz, dative/accusative of *jūz, from Proto-Indo-European *yū́. Compare West Frisian jo, Low German jo, ju, English you, German euch. The use as a nominative stems from an original genitive uwe edelheid (“your gentlehood”), which was later shortened to U E. and finally to u. See also jou.

Pronunciation [edit]

Pronoun [edit]

u

  1. (personal, second-person singular, subjective) you (polite).
    Bent u klaar? — “Are you ready?”
    Bent u er nog? — “Are you still there?”
  2. (personal, second-person singular, objective) you (polite).
    Ik zal het aan u geven. — “I will give it to you.”
    Dit zal niet werken voor u. — “This won’t work for you.”
  3. (personal, second-person singular, objective) thee (dialectal).
    Ik doe dat wel voor u. — “I’ll do it for thee.”
  4. (personal, second-person plural, subjective) you (polite).
    Hebt u die oefening gemaakt? — “Have you prepared that exercise?”
  5. (personal, second-person plural, objective) you (polite).
    Ze zullen dat wel voor u doen. — “They’ll do it for you.”
  6. (reflexive, second-person singular) thyself (dialectal)
    Gij hebt u niet gewassen. — “Thou hast not washed thyself.”
  7. (reflexive, second-person plural) yourselves (dialectal)
    Wast u eens. — “Wash yourselves.”

Usage notes [edit]

  • The capitalization of u (as in U or Uw) is now considered old-fashioned, and no longer compulsory. In religious contexts, it is still often capitalized.
  • See usage notes at gij.

Declension [edit]

Dutch personal pronouns
subject object possessive reflexive
singular full unstr. full unstr. full unstr. pred.
1st person ik 'k1 mij me mijn m'n1 mijne me
2nd person jij je jou je jouw je jouwe je
2nd person dialectal gij ge u – uw – uwe u
2nd person formal u – u – uw – uwe zich
3rd person masculine hij ie1 hem 'm1 zijn z'n1 zijne zich
3rd person feminine zij ze haar 'r1, d'r1 haar 'r1, d'r1 hare zich
3rd person neuter het 't1 het 't1 zijn z'n1 zijne zich
plural
1st person wij we ons – ons, onze2 – onze ons
2nd person jullie je jullie je jullie je – je
2nd person dialectal gij ge u – uw – uwe u
2nd person formal u – u – uw – uwe zich
3rd person zij ze hen3, hun4 ze hun – hunne zich
1) Not as common in written language.
2) Inflected as an adjective.		 3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative).
4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative).


Letter [edit]

u (lower case, upper case U)

  1. The twenty-first letter of the Dutch alphabet.

See also [edit]

  • Previous letter: t
  • Next letter: v

Esperanto [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

  • (letter name): IPA: /u/
  • (phoneme): IPA: /u/
  • Audio
    		(file)

Letter [edit]

u lower case (upper case U)

  1. The twenty-fifth letter of the Esperanto alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.

See also [edit]

Noun [edit]

u (plural u-oj, accusative singular u-on, accusative plural u-ojn)

  1. The name of the Latin script letter U/u.

See also [edit]

Italian [edit]

Noun [edit]

u m and f (invariable)

  1. See under U

Japanese [edit]

Romanization [edit]

u

  1. See う
  2. See ウ

Latin [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

ū (indeclinable)

  1. The name of the letter V.

Coordinate terms [edit]

References [edit]

  • Arthur E. Gordon, The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet (University of California Press, 1973; volume 9 of University of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32: "Clearly there is no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū—each, again, with a long vowel sound."

Latvian [edit]

Latvian Wikipedia has an article on:

Wikipedia lv

Etymology [edit]

Proposed in 1908 as part of the new Latvian spelling by the scientific commission headed by K. Mīlenbahs, which was accepted and began to be taught in schools in 1909. Prior to that, Latvian had been written in German Fraktur, and sporadically in Cyrillic.

Pronunciation [edit]

Headset icon.svg This entry needs audio files. If you have a microphone, please record some and upload them. (For audio required quickly, visit WT:APR.)

Letter [edit]

U

u lower case (upper case U)

  1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Latvian alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.

See also [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Noun [edit]

u m, invariable

  1. The name of the Latin script letter U/u.

See also [edit]

Malay [edit]

Letter [edit]

u

  1. The twenty-first letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also [edit]

Maltese [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Semitic. Cognate with Arabic وَ (wa), Hebrew וְ־ (v').

Conjunction [edit]

u

  1. and (used to connect two similar words, phrases, etc.)

Mauritian Creole [edit]

Pronoun [edit]

u (informal to)

  1. Alternative spelling of ou.

See also [edit]

Mauritian Creole personal pronouns
singular plural
1st person mo
mwa (objective)		 nou
2nd person to (informal), ou (formal)
twa (objective)		 zot
3rd person li zot, bann-la

Norman [edit]

Noun [edit]

u m (plural uûs or uur)

  1. (anatomy) eye

Norwegian [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

  • (letter name): IPA: /ʉː/
  • (phoneme): IPA: /ʉː/, /ʉ/, /ʊ/

Letter [edit]

u

  1. The 21st letter of the Norwegian alphabet

Old French [edit]

Etymology [edit]

Latin ubi

Adverb [edit]

u

  1. (interrogative) where

Polish [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Proto-Slavic *u, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew.

Pronunciation [edit]

Preposition [edit]

u (+ genitive)

  1. at

Portuguese [edit]

Letter [edit]

u lower case (upper case U)

  1. The twenty-first letter of the Portuguese alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.

Pumpokol [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Proto-Yeniseian *ʔaw (/ *ʔu) ("thou").

Pronoun [edit]

u

  1. you (second-person plural subjective)

Synonyms [edit]

Romanian [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Letter [edit]

u (lowercase, capital U)

  1. The twenty-fifth letter of the Romanian alphabet representing the phoneme /u/. Preceded by ţ and followed by v.

Romansch [edit]

Etymology [edit]

From Latin aut.

Conjunction [edit]

u

  1. or

Serbo-Croatian [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

See Translingual section.

Alternative forms [edit]

  • (uppercase) U

Pronunciation [edit]

Letter [edit]

u (Cyrillic spelling у)

  1. The 27th letter of the Serbo-Croatian Latin alphabet (gajica), preceded by t and followed by v.

Etymology 2 [edit]

From Proto-Slavic *u, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew.

Pronunciation [edit]

Preposition [edit]

u (Cyrillic spelling у)

  1. (with locative) in, at (without change of position, answering the question gdjȅ/gdȅ)
    biti u školi — to be in the school
    u c(ij)elom društvu — in the whole society
  2. (with accusative) to, into (with change of position, answering the question kùda)
    ići u školu — to go to school
    putovati u Ameriku — to travel to America
  3. (with accusative) on, in, at, during (in expressions concerning time)
    u podne — at noon
    u sr(ij)edu — on Wednesday
    u zoru — at dawn
    U koliko sati? — At what time?
  4. (with locative) in, during (in expressions concerning time)
    u jednom danu — in one day
    u mladosti — during one's youth

Somali [edit]

Preposition [edit]

u

  1. to
  2. for

Usage notes [edit]

  • In Somali, prepositions fall before the verb and not before the noun they modify:
    u sheeg -- to tell (lit. to call to)
    u keen -- to bring to

Spanish [edit]

Etymology 1 [edit]

Letter [edit]

u (lower case, upper case U)

  1. The 22nd letter of the Spanish alphabet.

Noun [edit]

u f (plural úes)

  1. Name of the letter U.

Etymology 2 [edit]

Conjunction [edit]

u

  1. or
Usage notes [edit]

Used instead of o when the following word starts with a vowel sound which is pronounced /o/.

See also [edit]

Swahili [edit]

Prefix [edit]

u-

  1. Marks noun class 11, denoting abstract nouns, singulatives, elongated objects, and countries.

Swedish [edit]

Pronunciation [edit]

Letter name
Phoneme
  • IPA: /ʉː/, /ɵ/

Letter [edit]

u lower case (upper case U)

  1. The twenty-first letter of the Swedish alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.

Tolai [edit]

Pronoun [edit]

u

  1. Second-person singular pronoun: you (singular)

Declension [edit]

Tolai personal pronouns
singular dual paucal plural
1st person exclusive iau amir
mir		 amital
mital		 avet
ave1
1st person inclusive - dor datal dat
da1
2nd person u amur
mur		 amutal
mutal		 avat
ava1
3rd person ia
i		 dir
di		 dital diat
dia1
1) The plural pronouns lose the final -t when preceding a verb.


Torres Strait Creole [edit]

Noun [edit]

u

  1. (eastern dialect) a mature coconut

Usage notes [edit]

U is the sixth stage of coconut growth. It is preceded by pes and followed by drai koknat.

Turkish [edit]

Letter [edit]

u lower case (upper case U)

  1. The twenty-fifth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called u and written in the Latin script.

See also [edit]

Noun [edit]

u

  1. The name of the Latin script letter U/u.

See also [edit]

Uzbek [edit]

Pronoun [edit]

u (Cyrillic у)

  1. Demonstrative pronoun used to indicate a thing that is far away from the speaker. that.
    • U eshik.
      That is a door. / That door.
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