憂
melancholy · grieve · lament · be anxious · sad · unhappy
Details
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Combines 'heart' (心) with a figure bowing their head, depicting emotional heaviness. Represents deep worry and melancholy weighing on the spirit.
Symbolism
Symbolizes deep concern, sorrow, and contemplative anxiety. A literary character representing the introspective, sensitive aspects of human emotion.
Related Culture & Scenes
- — Drowning in sadness
Component Breakdown
㥑 + go slowly
Words & Expressions
Words written with 憂
Four-Character Compounds
一喜一憂
いっきいちゆう
alternating between happiness and anxiety; swinging between joy and sorrow; being glad and sad by turns
内憂外患
ないゆうがいかん
troubles both at home and abroad
先憂後楽
せんゆうこうらく
worrying before one's people worry, enjoying oneself only after one's people have enjoyed themselves (a precept to be observed by a ruler)
遠慮近憂
えんりょきんゆう
failure to think of the long term leads to grief in the short term
Poetry
ありあけの つれなく見えし 別れより 暁ばかり 憂きものはなし
Since that parting when the dawn moon looked on without pity, nothing has been so bitter to me as daybreak.
憂かりける 人を初瀬の 山おろしよ はげしかれとは 祈らぬものを
Wind off the mountains of Hatsuse, I prayed that she might soften toward me, not that you should blow so fiercely.
思ひわび さてもいのちは あるものを 憂きにたへぬは 涙なりけり
Worn down by longing, I find I am still alive after all. It is my tears that cannot bear the grief.
ながらへば またこのごろや しのばれむ 憂しと見し世ぞ 今は恋しき
If I live on, will I look back fondly even on these days? The times I thought unbearable I now miss.
Anime & Manga
涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
A well-known work with 憂 in its Japanese title.
憂国のモリアーティ
Moriarty the Patriot
A well-known work with 憂 in its Japanese title.
狼と香辛料II 狼と琥珀色の憂鬱
Spice and Wolf II: Wolf and the Amber Melancholy
A well-known work with 憂 in its Japanese title.
デキる猫は今日も憂鬱
The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today
A well-known work with 憂 in its Japanese title.
Other kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 憂 mean in Japanese?
憂 means melancholy, grieve, lament, be anxious, sad, unhappy.
How do you read 憂?
On'yomi: ユウ (YUU). Kun'yomi: うれ.える、うれ.い、う.い、う.き (ureeru, urei, ui, uki).
How many strokes does 憂 have?
憂 has 15 strokes. Its radical is 心 (heart).
Is 憂 a good kanji for a tattoo?
憂 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means melancholy, grieve, lament, be anxious, sad, unhappy. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.
Explore by meaning:melancholy · grieve · lament · be anxious · sad