由 — “reason / cause” in Japanese

Grade 3ゆ, ゆう, ゆい, よし

Radical ⽥ · radical 102 The building block this kanji is filed under

“reason / cause” in Japanese is 由, read yu, yuu, yui (ゆ, ゆう, ゆい, よし). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 自由 (freedom).

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What does 由 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	由
Meaning	reason / cause
Readings	ゆ, ゆう, ゆい, よし
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	自由 (freedom)

How to read 由

由 is read yu (ゆ) or yuu (ゆう) or yui (ゆい) or yoshi (よし) depending on the word.

Words with 由

自由じゆう
理由りゆう
由来ゆらい

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Kanji read the same way as 由

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28