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憂愁 (ゆうしゅう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

憂ゆう愁しゅう

ゆ

う

しゅ

う

Meanings

1

noun

melancholy; gloom; grief

A literary noun for deep, often quiet sadness or melancholy. Not an everyday conversational word; more common in written or poetic contexts.

彼かれの顔かおには深ふかい憂ゆう愁しゅうの色いろが浮うかんでいた。
A look of deep melancholy was on his face.
その詩しは人じん生せいの憂ゆう愁しゅうを静しずかに歌うたっている。
The poem quietly sings of the sorrows of life.

Written forms

憂ゆう愁しゅうUsage97%
Standard kanji spelling for this literary noun.
幽ゆう愁しゅうUsage3%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 幽 suggests a hidden or deep-seated sorrow.

Kanji

憂melancholy, grieve, lament

distress, grieve, lament

幽seclude, confine to a room, deep

Similar words

憂ゆう鬱うつ
憂鬱 is more common and can describe clinical depression or a heavy, oppressive gloom, while 憂愁 is a more poetic, reflective sadness.
悲ひ哀あい
悲哀 is a broader term for sorrow or pathos, often used in literary or philosophical contexts, but less specifically tied to a quiet, lingering melancholy than 憂愁.

Etymology

Compound of 憂 (ゆう, 'sorrow, grief') and 愁 (しゅう, 'lament, melancholy'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has long been used in literary Chinese and Japanese to express a deep, often unspoken sadness.