# ゆ

| ゆ | U+3086, &#12422; HIRAGANA LETTER YU |
| ← ゅ [U+3085] | Hiragana | ょ → [U+3087] |

## Japanese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [jɯ̟]

### Etymology 1

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

#### Syllable

ゆ • (yu)
* 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, こ𛄲 (𛄲)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, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, 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 |
(This term, ゆ (yu), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.) For a list of all kanji read as ゆ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as ゆ.) :
(The following entries are uncreated: 遊, 由, 油, 喩, 愉, 諭, 輸, 癒, 諛.)

### Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of ゆ – see the following entries. :
| 【湯】3 | [noun] warm or hot water [noun] bathwater [noun] a hot spring [noun] a medicinal bath [noun] a medicinal decoction [noun] bilgewater [noun] 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.) :

### Etymology 4

From Old Japanese.

#### Suffix

ゆ • (-yu)
* (Classical Japanese) attaches to the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) of verbs
** expresses passiveness
** expresses possibility
** expresses natural, spontaneous occurrence

##### Conjugation

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: /ju/

### Particle

ゆ (yu)
* (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?
* (archaic, literary, with intransitive verb) away from, off
* (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)
* attaches to the 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) of verbs
** expresses passiveness
** expresses possibility
** expresses natural, spontaneous occurrence

##### Usage notes

* The alternative kanji spelling of this verb suffix derives from Middle Chinese 所 (ʃɨʌ$^X$), 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 (mi$_1$yu), 所聞 (ki$_1$ko$_2$yu), 所知 (sirayu).

##### Conjugation

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 (ki$_1$ko$_2$yu)
* 見ゆ (mi$_1$yu)
* 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)
* since
* 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Tago$_1$-no$_2$-ura yu utiidete mi$_1$reba ma-siro$_1$ ni so$_2$ Puzi no$_2$ takane ni yuki$_1$ pa purike$_1$ruWe passed through Tago Bay while looking at the truly-white peak of Fuji from the falling snow.
* by (means of)
* from

##### Derived terms

* ゆり (yuri)

##### Descendants

* Japanese: より (yori)

### Etymology 3

From Proto-Japonic *yu.

#### Noun

ゆ (yu)
* 湯: hot water, hot spring