優

See also: 优

Translingual

Han character

優 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+15, 17 strokes, cangjie input 人一月水 (OMBE), four-corner 2124₇, composition ⿰亻憂)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 120, character 28
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1261
• Dae Jaweon: page 254, character 26
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 233, character 4
• Unihan data for U+512A

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Chinese

trad.		優
simp.		优*

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 優
Small seal script s05803 Transcribed ancient scripts L33551 L33552 L33553 L11732 L11733
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (憂) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
憂	*qu
優	*qu
瀀	*qu
櫌	*qu
鄾	*qu
嚘	*qu
耰	*qu
獶	*qu
纋	*qu
懮	*quʔ

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yōu (you¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄡ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): jau¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): yiu¹

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): iu

  (Teochew, Peng'im): iu¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yōu
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄡ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: you
    • Wade–Giles: yu¹
    • Yale: yōu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iou
    • Palladius: ю (ju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /joʊ̯⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: jau¹
    • Yale: yāu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jau¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yeo¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐu̯⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: yiu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiu³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: iu
    • Tâi-lô: iu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: iw
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /iu³³/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /iu⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: iu¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: iu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iu³³/

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• Middle Chinese: 'juw

Rime
Character	優
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	尤 (136)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	於求切
Baxter	'juw
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔɨu/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔiu/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔiəu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔuw/
Li Rong	/ʔiu/
Wang Li	/ĭəu/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʔi̯ə̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yōu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jau1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*ʔ(r)u/

  (Zhengzhang): /*qu/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	優
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yōu
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔjuw ›
Old Chinese	/*ʔ(r)u/
English	entertainer; liberal
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	優
Reading #	1/1
No.	15494
Phonetic component	憂
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	憂
Old Chinese	/*qu/

Definitions

優 Excellent

(deprecated template usage) 優

1. excellent; superior
2. actor
3. (Cantonese) to pull up (pants or socks)

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Japanese

Kanji

優

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. a person with lithe movements
2. kind (adj.), favor
3. good, excellent, surpass, superior
   1. the best possible grade on school results
4. rich, wealthy
5. a sufficient amount for a certain thing
6. tenderness, gentleness
7. actor

Readings

• Go-on: う (u)
• Kan-on: ゆう (yū, Jōyō)^{←いう (iu, historical)}
• Kun: すぐれる (sugureru, 優れる, Jōyō); まさる (masaru, 優る); やさしい (yasashii, 優しい, Jōyō)
• Nanori: かつ (katsu); ひろ (hiro); ゆたか (yutaka)

Compounds

• 優(う)曇(どん)華(げ) (udonge)
• 優(やさ)形(がた) (yasagata)
• 優(やさ)男(おとこ) (yasaotoko)
• 優(ゆう)々(ゆう)閑(かん)々(かん) (yūyūkankan), 優(ゆう)優(ゆう)閑(かん)閑(かん) (yūyūkankan)
• 優(ゆう)位(い) (yūi)
• 優(ゆう)先(せん) (yūsen)
• 優(ゆう)利(り) (yūri)
• 優(ゆう)劣(れつ) (yūretsu)
• 優(ゆう)勝(しょう) (yūshō)
• 優(ゆう)勢(せい) (yūsei)
• 優(ゆう)女(おんな) (yūonna)
• 優(ゆう)姿(し) (yūshi)
• 優(ゆう)婉(えん) (yūen)
• 優(ゆう)弧(こ) (yūko)
• 優(ゆう)待(たい) (yūtai)
• 優(ゆう)性(せい) (yūsei)
• 優(ゆう)柔(じゅう)不(ふ)断(だん) (yūjūfudan)
• 優(ゆう)渥(あく) (yūaku)
• 優(ゆう)生(せい) (yūsei)
• 優(ゆう)秀(しゅう) (yūshū)
• 優(ゆう)等(とう) (yūtō)
• 優(ゆう)美(び) (yūbi)
• 優(ゆう)者(しゃ) (yūsha)
• 優(ゆう)良(りょう) (yūryō)
• 優(ゆう)艶(えん) (yūen)
• 優(ゆう)諚(じょう) (yūjō)
• 優(ゆう)越(えつ) (yūetsu)
• 優(ゆう)越(えつ)感(かん) (yūetsukan)
• 優(ゆう)退(たい) (yūtai)
• 優(ゆう)遇(ぐう) (yūgū)
• 優(ゆう)長(ちょう) (yūchō)
• 優(ゆう)雅(が) (yūga)
• 優(ゆう)駿(しゅん) (yūshun)

 

Adverb

優(ゆう) • (yū) 

1. enough, amply
2. easily, skillfully

Noun

優(ゆう) • (yū) 

1. A (letter grade); excellence
2. gentleness

Proper noun

優(まさる) • (Masaru) 

1. a male given name

優(ゆう) • (Yū) 

1. a female given name

Related terms

• 優(まさ)しげ (masashige)
• 優(まさ)る (masaru)

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Korean

Hanja

優 (eum 우 (u))

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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Vietnamese

Han character

優: Hán Nôm readings: ưu, viên

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.