west, bird, sign of the bird, 5-7PM, tenth sign of Chinese zodiac, sake radical (no. 164)
酉 centers on the tenth Earthly Branch, which is associated with the rooster (bird), the western direction, and the time period 5–7 PM. The sake radical sense comes from its use as a component in characters related to alcohol.
酉 is a pictograph of a wine jar or vessel, which later came to represent the tenth Earthly Branch and its associated zodiac sign, the rooster. The connection to west and 5–7 PM comes from its position in the traditional Chinese directional and temporal systems.
Picture an ancient wine jar with a wide body and a narrow neck, like the shape of 酉. This jar was used for sake, and its association with the rooster, west, and evening comes from its place in the zodiac cycle.
For ユウ, imagine you and a friend sharing sake from a 酉 jar: you -> ユウ, and the sake jar brings you together.
the Rooster (tenth sign of the Chinese zodiac); the Cock; the Chicken; the Bird
tori-no-ichi (held at Ōtori Shrine on each day of the Rooster in November)
first day of the cock in the eleventh month
Fire Rooster (34th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1957, 2017, 2077)
Wood Rooster (22nd term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1945, 2005, 2065)
large collection of books; place where many books are stored
Earth Rooster (46th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1909, 1969, 2029)
kanji "bird of the zodiac" radical (radical 164)
Water Rooster (10th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1933, 1993, 2053)
Metal Rooster (58th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1921, 1981, 2041)
hour of the Rooster (around 6pm, 5-7pm, or 6-8pm); hour of the Cock
year of the Rooster
tori-no-machi (held at Ōtori Shrine on each day of the Rooster in November)
day of the Rooster; day of the Cock
kanji "bird of the zodiac" radical (radical 164)
year of the Rooster; year of the Cock