ゆ

• IPA^(key): [jɯ̟]

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

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”).

• (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

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

From Old Japanese.

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

• あらゆる (arayuru)
• 所謂(いわゆる) (iwayuru)

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

Cognate with standard Japanese を (wo).

• IPA^(key): /ju/

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.

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

• “ゆ” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ユ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).

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

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

• 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).

• Japanese: ゆ (-yu) → える (-eru)

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

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

• ゆり (yuri)

• Japanese: より (yori)

From Proto-Japonic *yu.

ゆ (yu)

1. 湯: hot water, hot spring