うれい

Japanese

Etymology

Alternative spellings
憂い 愁い 患い

/ureɸe/ → /ureɸi/ → /urei/

Shift from 憂え (uree), the 未(み)然形(ぜんけい) (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) and 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 憂(うれ)える (ureeru, “to be worried (about); grieve, lament”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) うれい​ [ùréíꜜ] (Odaka – [3])
• (Tokyo) うれ​い [ùréꜜì] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝɾe̞i]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

うれい • (urei) ^{←うれひ (urefi)?}

1. fear, misgiving
2. sadness, gloom, sorrow

Derived terms

• 憂(うれ)い顔(がお) (ureigao)
• 後(こう)顧(こ)の憂(うれ)い (kōko no urei)

Proverbs

• 酒(さけ)は憂(うれ)いの玉(たま)箒(ばはき) (sake wa urei no tamabahaki)
• 天(てん)下(か)の憂(うれ)いに先(さき)立(だ)ちて憂(うれ)い、天(てん)下(か)の楽(たの)しみに後(おく)れて楽(たの)しむ (tenka no urei ni sakidachite urei, tenka no tanoshimi ni okurete tanoshimu)
• 遠(とお)き慮(おもんぱか)りなければ必(かなら)ず近(ちか)き憂(うれ)いあり (tōki omonpakari nakereba kanarazu chikaki urei ari)