Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

yen

/jɛn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.73 in modern English

Syllables
yen
IPA
/jɛn/
6
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The unit of Japanese currency (symbol: ¥) since 1871, divided into 100 sen.

noun

A coin or note worth one yen.

noun

A strong desire, urge, or yearning.

verb

To have a strong desire for.

Transitive verb

noun

Opium.

Slang; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Medhurst and Hepburn’s romanizations, under the influence of earlier Portuguese romanizations, of Japanese 圓(えん) (en, “round; a round object”) as ye or yen, now 円(えん) (en), from Chinese 銀圓 /银圆 (yínyuán, “round silver object(s), especially a piece of eight”): 銀 /银 (yín, “silver”) + 圓 /圆 (yuán, “circular, round; yuan, yen, dollar”). Cognate with Chinese 元 (yuán, “monetary unit, especially RMB”) and Korean 원 (won, “North or South Korean won”). Doublet of won and yuan.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: -, 銀圓, 癮, 煙, 燕

Usage

Inflected Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce yen?
The recorded pronunciation is /jɛn/.
What does yen mean?
The unit of Japanese currency (symbol: ¥) since 1871, divided into 100 sen.
Where does yen come from?
It is traced to Portuguese.

How to pronounce yen

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “yen”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/jɛn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “yen”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “yen” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.