Onyomi: ユ, ユイ, ユウ · Kunyomi: よ.る, よし · Meanings: a reason, wherefore
Kanji for a reason, wherefore
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Find visually similar kanji, commonly confused characters, related meanings, and useful words connected to 由.
由 is a simple pictograph that originally showed something coming from a source. It represents the idea of origin or reason. From this basic meaning, 由 came to mean from, because of, or due to.
Something starts from a source or reason. That origin is 由.
Think of a starting point where things come from. That source or reason is 由.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 由 | よし | reason, significance, cause | common Noun |
| 依る | よる | to be due to, to be caused by | common JLPT-N2 Godan verb with 'ru' ending, Intransitive verb |
| 由来 | ゆらい | origin, source, history, derivation | common Noun, Suru verb |
| 由緒 | ゆいしょ | history, pedigree, lineage | common Noun |
| 由々しい | ゆゆしい | grave, serious, alarming | I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 由ありげ | よしありげ | meaningful, suggestive, seeming to be with a history, seeming to be with circumstances that are hard to explain | Na-adjective (keiyodoshi) |
| 入満 | イルマン | brother, lay brother, non-ordained member of a Christian religious order | Noun |
| よって来たる | よってきたる | originating, causing, beginning | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Noun or verb acting prenominally |
| よしなし事 | よしなしごと | trivial thing, nonsense | Noun |
| 由なき | よしなき | meaningless, senseless, absurd | Pre-noun adjectival (rentaishi) |