憂 — “Melancholy / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious” in Japanese

Master (高手)ゆう, うれ, う

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

“Melancholy / Grieve / Lament / Be Anxious” in Japanese is 憂, read yuu, ure, u (ゆう, うれ, う). 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 yuu (ゆう) or ure (うれ) or u (う) depending on the word.

Words with 憂

憂鬱

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Kanji read the same way as 憂

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28