憂 — Melancholy / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious

Master (高手)ゆう, うれ, う

Radical ⼼ · radical 61 The building block this kanji is filed under

憂 (readings: ゆう, うれ, う; Japanese kanji) means “Melancholy / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 憂鬱 (melancholy).

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What does 憂 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	憂
Meaning	Melancholy / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious
Readings	ゆう, うれ, う
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	憂鬱 (melancholy)

How to read 憂

憂 is read ゆう or うれ or う depending on the word.

Words with 憂

憂鬱ưu uất

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Updated: 2026-07-22