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): [jɯ̟]

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

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

Syllable

ゆ • (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, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, ら, り, る, れ, ろ, わゎ, ゐ, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ, を, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

Etymology 2

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

【柚】J [noun] (possibly obsolete) yuzu (Citrus junos) [proper noun] a surname

【湯】3 [noun] warm or hot water [noun] bathwater [noun] a hot spring [noun] a medicinal bath [noun] a medicinal decoction [noun] (nautical) bilgewater [noun] (metallurgy) molten metal used in casting or founding [noun] urine

【弓】2 [prefix] a bow, a bow shape

【斎】S [noun] (Shinto) holy, pure, sacred

(This term, ゆ (yu), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as ゆ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as ゆ.

(The following entries do not have a page created for them yet: 遊, 由, 油, 喩, 愉, 諭, 輸, 癒, 諛.)

Etymology 3

From Old Japanese.

Suffix

ゆ • (-yu) 

1. (Classical Japanese) attaches to the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) 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
Volitional	えむ	えむ	-emu

Derived terms

• あらゆる (arayuru)
• 所謂(いわゆる) (iwayuru)

Okinawan

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *wo, from Proto-Japonic *wo.

Cognate with standard Japanese を (wo).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ju/

Particle

ゆ (yu) 

1. (archaic, literary, with transitive verb) accusative case particle

   誰(たる)ゆ恨(うら)みとぅてぃ鳴(な)ちゅが浜(はま)千(ち)鳥(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 (archived; reopens 2024).

Old Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling
所

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Suffix

ゆ (-yu)

1. attaches to the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) of verbs
   1. expresses passiveness
   2. expresses possibility
   3. expresses natural, spontaneous occurrence

Usage notes

• The alternative kanji spelling of this verb suffix derives from Middle Chinese 所 (srjo^X), a 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 所謂 (ipayuru), 所念 (omopoyu), 所見 (mi₁yu), 所聞 (ki₁ko₂yu), 所知 (sirayu).

Conjugation

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

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	𛀁	𛀁	-ye
Continuative (連用形)	𛀁	𛀁	-ye
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)	𛀁よ	𛀁よ	-yeyo
Key constructions
Negative	𛀁ず	𛀁ず	-yezu
Contrasting conjunction	ゆれど	ゆれど	-yuredo
Causal conjunction	ゆれば	ゆれば	-yureba
Conditional conjunction	𛀁ば	𛀁ば	-yeba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	𛀁き	𛀁き	-yeki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	𛀁けり	𛀁けり	-yekeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	𛀁つ	𛀁つ	-yetu
Perfect tense (natural event)	𛀁ぬ	𛀁ぬ	-yenu
Perfect-continuative tense	𛀁たり	𛀁たり	-yetari
Volitional	𛀁む	𛀁む	-yemu

Derived terms

• 所謂 (ipayuru)
• 思ほゆ (omopoyu)
• 聞こゆ (ki₁ko₂yu)
• 見ゆ (mi₁yu)
• 所知 (sirayu)
• 生ゆ, 映ゆ (payu)
• 有らゆる (arayuru)

Descendants

• Japanese: ゆ (-yu) → える (-eru)

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Particle

ゆ (yu)

1. since
2. through
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 3, poem 318:
     , text here

     田兒之浦從打出而見者眞白衣不盡能高嶺爾雪波零家留

     Tago₁-no₂-ura yu utiidete mi₁reba ma-siro₁ ni so₂ Puzi no₂ takane ni yuki₁ pa purike₁ru

     We passed through Tago Bay while looking at the truly-white peak of Fuji from the falling snow.

3. by (means of)
4. from

Derived terms

• ゆり (yuri)

Descendants

• Japanese: より (yori)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Japonic *yu.

Noun

ゆ (yu)

1. 湯: hot water, hot spring