ゆ

ゆ U+3086, ゆ HIRAGANA LETTER YU ← ゅ [U+3085] Hiragana ょ → [U+3087]

Japanese

hentaigana form (obsolete variant hiragana form (𛃥). Another form of cursive 由)

Stroke order

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jɯ̟ᵝ]

Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 由 in the cursive sōsho style.

Syllable

ゆ (romaji yu)

1. The hiragana syllable ゆ (yu). Its equivalent in katakana is ユ (yu). It is the thirty-seventh syllable in the gojūon order; its position is や行う段 (ya-gyō u-dan, “row ya, section u”).

See also

• (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, ゆゅ, よょ, ら, り, る, れ, ろ, わゎ, ゐ, ゑ, を, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of ゆ – see the following entries.

【湯】3 [noun] warm or hot water [noun] bathwater [noun] a hot spring [noun] a medicinal bath [noun] a medicinal decoction [noun] bilgewater [noun] molten metal used in casting or founding [noun] urine 【弓】2 [prefix] a bow, a bow shape 【柚】J [noun] (possibly obsolete) yuzu (Citrus junos) [proper noun] A surname​. 【斎】S [noun] (Shinto) holy, pure, sacred

(This term, ゆ, is an alternative spelling of the above terms. For a list of all kanji read as ゆ, not just those used in Japanese terms, see Category:Japanese kanji read as ゆ.)

For pronunciation and definitions of ゆ – see 遊, 由, 油, 喩, 愉, 諭, 輸, 癒, 諛. (This term, ゆ, is an alternative spelling of the above Sino-Japanese terms.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 遊, 由, 油, 喩, 愉, 諭, 輸, 癒, 諛.)

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Okinawan

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *wo, from Proto-Japonic *wo. Cognate with standard Japanese を (wo).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ju/

Particle

ゆ (rōmaji yu)

1. (archaic, literary) A case particle.
   1. (archaic, literary, with transitive verb) An accusative case particle: a grammatical marker following the direct object.

      誰(たる)ゆ恨(うら)みとぅてぃ鳴(な)ちゅが浜千鳥(はまちどぅり)。

      Taru-yu uramituti nachuga hamachiduri.

      Who do you hate when you sing, the plover on the beach?

   2. (archaic, literary, with intransitive verb) away from, off
   3. (archaic, literary, with intransitive verb) along, following a specified route, track, orbit, etc.

Usage notes

In modern Okinawan parlance this accusative particle is simply omitted from direct objects and the like, turning the language into a marked nominative language.

References

• “ゆ” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ユ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary.

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Old Japanese

Etymology

Alternative spelling
所

Suffix

ゆ • (-yu) 

1. (following the irrealis stem of verbs)
   1. expresses passiveness
   2. expresses possibility
   3. expresses natural, spontaneous occurrence

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "ゆ" (ヤ行下二段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	え	え	-e
Continuative (連用形)	え	え	-e
Terminal (終止形)	ゆ	ゆ	-yu
Attributive (連体形)	ゆる	ゆる	-yuru
Realis (已然形)	ゆれ	ゆれ	-yure
Imperative (命令形)	えよ	えよ	-eyo
Key constructions
Negative	えず	えず	-ezu
Contrasting conjunction	ゆれど	ゆれど	-yuredo
Causal conjunction	ゆれば	ゆれば	-yureba
Conditional conjunction	えば	えば	-eba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	えき	えき	-eki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	えけり	えけり	-ekeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	えつ	えつ	-etu
Perfect tense (natural event)	えぬ	えぬ	-enu
Perfect-continuative tense	えたり	えたり	-etari

Descendants

• In modern Japanese:
  • あらゆる (arayuru)
  • 所謂(いわゆる) (iwayuru)
  • 聞(き)こえる (kikoeru)
  • 見(み)える (mieru)
  • 覚(おぼ)える (oboeru)

Usage notes

• The alternative kanji spelling of this verb suffix derives from Middle Chinese 所 (MC ʃɨʌ^X, “prefix attached to verbs to form noun phrases, indicating the patient of the verb, similar to a passive participle”). In writing, this is used prefixally as in Chinese, by adding it before the kanji of the verb. The resulting compound is read as the irrealis stem of the verb plus the terminal ゆ (yu) or attributive ゆる (yuru), depending on the grammar required by the syntax. Examples are 所有 (arayuru), 所謂 (ipayuru), 所念 (omopoyu), 所見 (miyu), 所聞 (kikoyu), 所知 (shirayu).