Skip to content
Kotomora

羨

envious, be jealous, covet

StatusJōyō · secondary schoolStrokes13

Readings

On'yomi

  • セン
  • エン

Kun'yomi

  • うらや.む
  • あまり

Meaning

羨 centers on wanting what someone else has: feeling envious, jealous, or coveting something desirable.

Most common words using 羨

  • 羨ましいうらやましい
    N3

    envious; jealous

  • 羨むうらやむ
    N2

    to envy; to be envious of; to be jealous of

  • 羨望せんぼう

    envy

  • ペニス羨望ペニスせんぼう

    penis envy

  • 亀の年を鶴が羨むかめのとしをつるがうらやむ

    some people are never satisfied; the crane envies the longevity of the turtle

  • 欣羨きんせん

    being very jealous; extreme jealousy

  • 羨みうらやみ

    envy

  • 羨望の的せんぼうのまと

    object of envy

Explore all words using 羨 →

Study

Etymology

羨 combines 羊 (sheep) with 㳄 (a variant of 次, meaning 'next' or 'second'), suggesting the desire for something secondary or the drooling over something desirable like a sheep. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the idea of coveting or envying is central.

Meaning mnemonic

The top part looks like a sheep (羊) and the bottom like a person drooling (㳄). Imagine someone staring at a neighbor's sheep, mouth watering with envy.

Reading mnemonic

For セン, picture a person so envious they send (セン) a thousand (千, セン) longing glances at the sheep. Send -> セン, and the envy is palpable.