유

유 U+C720, 유 HANGUL SYLLABLE YU Composition: ㅇ + ㅠ ← 윟 [U+C71F] Hangul Syllables 육 → [U+C721]

유육윢윣윤윥윦 윧율윩윪윫윬윭 윮윯윰윱윲윳윴 융윶윷윸윹윺윻
위 ←	→ 으

Korean

Etymology 1

Sino-Korean word from 有, from the Middle Korean reading 유 (Yale: yu).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ju(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [유(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	yu
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	yu
McCune–Reischauer?	yu
Yale Romanization?	yū

Noun

유 • (yu) (hanja 有)

1. existence, being (especially in contrast to the concept of nothingness or non-existence)

   Antonym: 무(無) (mu, “nothing, nothingness”)

   무에서 유를 창조하다

   mu-eseo yu-reul changjohada

   to create something out of nothing

   • 1918, Han Yong-un, 한용운(韓龍雲), “心(심) (Sim)”, in 惟(유)心(심), number 1:

     心(심)은 無(무)의 實(실)在(재)오 有(유)의 眞(진)空(공)이니라

     Sim-eun mu-ui siljae-o yu-ui jin'gong-inira

     The heart is the manifestation of non-existence and the vacuum of existence.

Prefix

유— • (yu-) (hanja 有)

1. there is..., having...; a prefix indicating the existence of something

   유의미 (有意味) ― yuuimi ― meaningful

   유자격 (有資格) ― yujagyeok ― qualified (lit. having qualifications)

Derived terms

• 유(有)하다 (yuhada)
• See the hanja entry at 有 for Sino-Korean compounds of 유 (有, yu).

Etymology 2

Sino-Korean word from 類, from the Middle Korean reading 류 (Yale: lyu).

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ju(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [유(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	yu
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	yu
McCune–Reischauer?	yu
Yale Romanization?	yū

Noun

유 • (yu) (hanja 類)

1. Alternative form of 류(類) (ryu, “type; kind; sort”).
2. (biology, taxonomy) a family or genus

Usage notes

The prescriptive South Korean standard demands the pronunciation 유 (yu) for this character when used as a noun, but 류 (ryu) is by far the more common—the number of Google search results preliminarily suggest that 류 (ryu) is about ten times more frequent than 유 (yu). South Korean legal documents also regularly use the "incorrect" 류 (ryu). In North Korea, only 류 (ryu) is accepted.

Derived terms

• See the hanja entry at 類 for Sino-Korean compounds of 유 (類, yu).

Related terms

• 류(類) (ryu, “type; category”)

Etymology 3

From English u.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ju]
• Phonetic hangul: [유]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	yu
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	yu
McCune–Reischauer?	yu
Yale Romanization?	yu

Noun

유 • (yu)

1. The Korean reading of the Latin alphabet letter u.

Etymology 4

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Syllable

유 (yu)

Extended content

由: (MC reading: 由 (MC yuw)) 油: (MC reading: 油 (MC yuw|yuwH)) 酉: (MC reading: 酉 (MC yuwX)) 有: (MC reading: 有 (MC hjuwX)) 猶: (MC reading: 猶 (MC yuw|yuwH)) 唯: (MC reading: 唯 (MC ywij|ywijX)) 遊: (MC reading: 遊 (MC yuw)) 遺: (MC reading: 遺 (MC ywij|ywijH)) 幼: (MC reading: 幼 (MC 'jiwH)) 幽: (MC reading: 幽 (MC 'jiw)) 惟: (MC reading: 惟 (MC ywij)) 維: (MC reading: 維 (MC ywij)) 裕: (MC reading: 裕 (MC yuH)) 誘: (MC reading: 誘 (MC yuwX)) 愈: (MC reading: 愈 (MC yuX)) 悠: (MC reading: 悠 (MC yuw)) 喩: (MC reading: 喩 (MC jɨoH)) 兪: (MC reading: 兪 (MC jɨo)) 游: (MC reading: 游 (MC yuw)) 諭: (MC reading: 諭 (MC yuH))

Extended content
柔: (MC reading: 柔 (MC nyuw)) 乳: (MC reading: 乳 (MC nyuX)) 儒: (MC reading: 儒 (MC nyu))

Extended content
柳: (MC reading: 柳 (MC ljuwX)) 留: (MC reading: 留 (MC ljuw|ljuwH)) 流: (MC reading: 流 (MC ljuw)) 類: (MC reading: 類 (MC lwijH)) 琉: (MC reading: 琉 (MC ljuw)) 劉: (MC reading: 劉 (MC ljuw)) 硫: (MC reading: 硫 (MC ljuw))

Extended content
紐: (MC reading: 紐 (MC nrjuwX)) 鈕: (MC reading: 鈕 (MC nrjuwX)) 杻: (MC reading: 杻 (MC nrjuwX))