-ű

See also: Appendix:Variations of "u"

Hungarian

Etymology

First attested in c. 1350. Of the same origin as the -ó/-ő diminutive suffix. Later it split from the latter as an adjective-forming suffix meaning “possessing something”. Originally, the variants occurred equally both as a diminutive suffix and as an adjective-forming suffix. This mix of forms resulted in a division of senses.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [yː]

Suffix

-ű

1. (adjective-forming suffix) Added to a noun to form an adjective denoting possession or similarity. It is used only in parasynthetic compounds, requiring a preceding adjective or a compound structure. Similar in function to English -ed.

   hét (“seven”) + fej (“head”) → hétfejű sárkány (“seven-headed dragon”)

   jó szív (“kind heart”) → jószívű (“kind-hearted”)

   darázsderekú ― wasp-waisted

2. (obsolete) Present-participle suffix, found today only in a few words such as gyönyörű (“beautiful”, adjective), fésű (“comb”, noun), sűrű (“thick”, adjective).

Usage notes

• (adjective-forming suffix): Harmonic variants:

  -ú is added to back-vowel words ending in a consonant

  -ű is added to front-vowel words ending in a consonant

  -jú is added to back-vowel words ending in a vowel. Final -a changes to -á-.

  -jű is added to front-vowel words ending in a vowel. Final -e changes to -é-.

Derived terms

Hungarian adjectives suffixed with -ű

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes