優

See also: 优

優	U+512A, 優 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-512A

← 儩
[U+5129]

CJK Unified Ideographs

儫 →
[U+512B]

㊝	U+329D, ㊝ CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH EXCELLENT

← ㊜
[U+329C]

Enclosed CJK Letters and Months

㊞ →
[U+329E]

TranslingualEdit

Han characterEdit

優 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+15, 17 strokes, cangjie input 人一月水 (OMBE), four-corner 2124₇, composition ⿰亻憂)

ReferencesEdit

KangXi: page 120, character 28
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1261
Dae Jaweon: page 254, character 26
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 233, character 4
Unihan data for U+512A

ChineseEdit

trad.		優
simp.		优^*

Glyph originEdit

Historical forms of the character 優

**Small seal script**
s05803

**Transcribed ancient scripts**
L33551	L33552	L33553	L11732	L11733

References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (憂) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
憂	*qu
優	*qu
瀀	*qu
櫌	*qu
鄾	*qu
嚘	*qu
耰	*qu
獶	*qu
纋	*qu
懮	*quʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *qu): semantic 亻 + phonetic 憂 (OC *qu).

PronunciationEdit

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yōu (you¹)

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄡ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): jau¹

(Taishan, Wiktionary): yiu¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yîu
Min Dong (BUC): iŭ
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): iu

(Teochew, Peng'im): iu¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yōu
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄡ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: you
  - Wade–Giles: yu¹
  - Yale: yōu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iou
  - Palladius: ю (ju)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /joʊ̯⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: jau¹
  - Yale: yāu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jau¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: yeo¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐu̯⁵⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: yiu¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiu³³/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yîu
  - Hakka Romanization System: iu´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yiu¹
  - Sinological IPA: /i̯iu̯²⁴/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yîu
  - Hakka Romanization System: (r)iu´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yiu¹
  - Sinological IPA: /(j)i̯iu̯²⁴/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: iŭ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ieu⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: iu
  - Tâi-lô: iu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: iw
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /iu⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /iu³³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: iu¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: iu
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /iu³³/

Middle Chinese: /ʔɨu/

Rime
Character	優
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	尤 (136)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	於求切
Baxter	'juw
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔɨu/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔiu/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔiəu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔuw/
Li Rong	/ʔiu/
Wang Li	/ĭəu/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʔi̯ə̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yōu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jau¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ʔ(r)u/

(Zhengzhang): /*qu/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	優
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yōu
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔjuw ›
Old Chinese	/*ʔ(r)u/
English	entertainer; liberal
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	優
Reading #	1/1
No.	15494
Phonetic component	憂
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	憂
Old Chinese	/*qu/

DefinitionsEdit

優

generous; abundant; ample
excellent; superior
(literary, or in compounds) to give preferential treatment
(dated) actor; entertainer
(Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (Cantonese) to pull up (pants or socks)
a surname: You

SynonymsEdit

(generous):

edit

Synonyms of 優

充牣 (chōngrèn) (literary)
充盈 (chōngyíng)
博大 (bódà)
宏富 (hóngfù) (literary)
富足 (fùzú)
盎然 (àngrán)

優厚／优厚 (yōuhòu)
寬裕／宽裕 (kuānyù)
從容／从容 (cóngróng)
滿盈／满盈 (mǎnyíng) (literary)
豐厚／丰厚 (fēnghòu)
豐富／丰富 (fēngfù)

豐滿／丰满 (fēngmǎn)
豐盛／丰盛 (fēngshèng)
豐碩／丰硕 (fēngshuò)
豐足／丰足 (fēngzú)
饒／饶 (ráo)

(to give preferential treatment):

edit

厚待 (hòudài)
知遇 (zhīyù) (literary)

優待／优待 (yōudài)
優遇／优遇 (yōuyù)

照顧／照顾 (zhàogù)

AntonymsEdit

(excellent): 劣 (liè)

CompoundsEdit

Derived terms from 優

伊優／伊优
伶優／伶优
俳優／俳优 (páiyōu)
俳優體／俳优体
倡優／倡优 (chāngyōu)
優伶／优伶 (yōulíng)
優假／优假
優優／优优
優先／优先 (yōuxiān)
優先權／优先权 (yōuxiānquán)
優劣／优劣 (yōuliè)
優勝／优胜 (yōushèng)
優勝劣敗／优胜劣败
優勢／优势 (yōushì)
優勢種／优势种 (yōushìzhǒng)
優厚／优厚 (yōuhòu)
優哉游哉／优哉游哉 (yōuzāiyóuzāi)
優地槽／优地槽
優境學／优境学
優婆塞／优婆塞 (yōupósè)
優婆夷／优婆夷
優孟衣冠／优孟衣冠
優容／优容
優弧／优弧
優待／优待 (yōudài)
優待券／优待券
優待月票／优待月票
優恤／优恤
優惠／优惠 (yōuhuì)
優惠待遇／优惠待遇
優惠關稅／优惠关税
優撫／优抚 (yōufǔ)

優曇華／优昙华
優柔／优柔
優柔寡斷／优柔寡断 (yōuróuguǎduàn)
優格／优格 (yōugé)
優樂／优乐
優比／优比
優洽／优洽
優渥／优渥 (yōuwò)
優游／优游
優游不迫／优游不迫
優游自在／优游自在
優獎／优奖
優生保健／优生保健
優生學／优生学 (yōushēngxué)
優異／优异 (yōuyì)
優禮／优礼 (yōulǐ)
優秀／优秀 (yōuxiù)
優笑／优笑
優等／优等 (yōuděng)
優缽羅／优钵罗
優美／优美 (yōuměi)
優良／优良 (yōuliáng)
優處／优处
優裕／优裕 (yōuyù)
優角／优角
優詔／优诏
優貢／优贡
優質／优质 (yōuzhì)
優越／优越 (yōuyuè)
優越感／优越感 (yōuyuègǎn)
優遇／优遇 (yōuyù)
優遊／优游 (yōuyóu)

JapaneseEdit

KanjiEdit

優

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

a person with lithe movements
kind (adj.), favor
good, excellent, surpass, superior
1. the best possible grade on school results
rich, wealthy
a sufficient amount for a certain thing
tenderness, gentleness
actor

ReadingsEdit

Go-on: う (u)
Kan-on: ゆう (yū, Jōyō)^{←いう (iu, historical)}
Kun: すぐれる (sugureru, 優れる, Jōyō); まさる (masaru, 優る); やさしい (yasashii, 優しい, Jōyō)
Nanori: かつ (katsu); ひろ (hiro); ゆたか (yutaka); ゆ (yu); よし (yoshi)

CompoundsEdit

優(う)曇(どん)華(げ) (udonge)
優(やさ)形(がた) (yasagata)
優(やさ)男(おとこ) (yasaotoko)
優(ゆう)々(ゆう)閑(かん)々(かん) (yūyūkankan), 優(ゆう)優(ゆう)閑(かん)閑(かん) (yūyūkankan)
優(ゆう)位(い) (yūi)
優(ゆう)先(せん) (yūsen)
優(ゆう)劣(れつ) (yūretsu)
優(ゆう)勝(しょう) (yūshō)
優(ゆう)勢(せい) (yūsei)
優(ゆう)女(おんな) (yūonna)
優(ゆう)姿(し) (yūshi)
優(ゆう)婉(えん) (yūen)
優(ゆう)弧(こ) (yūko)
優(ゆう)待(たい) (yūtai)
優(ゆう)性(せい) (yūsei)
優(ゆう)柔(じゅう)不(ふ)断(だん) (yūjūfudan)
優(ゆう)渥(あく) (yūaku)
優(ゆう)生(せい) (yūsei)
優(ゆう)秀(しゅう) (yūshū)
優(ゆう)等(とう) (yūtō)
優(ゆう)美(び) (yūbi)
優(ゆう)者(しゃ) (yūsha)
優(ゆう)良(りょう) (yūryō)
優(ゆう)艶(えん) (yūen)
優(ゆう)諚(じょう) (yūjō)
優(ゆう)越(えつ) (yūetsu)
優(ゆう)越(えつ)感(かん) (yūetsukan)
優(ゆう)退(たい) (yūtai)
優(ゆう)遇(ぐう) (yūgū)
優(ゆう)長(ちょう) (yūchō)
優(ゆう)雅(が) (yūga)
優(ゆう)駿(しゅん) (yūshun)

Etymology 1Edit

Kanji in this term
優
ゆう Grade: 6
on’yomi

AdverbEdit

優(ゆう) • (yū) ^{←いう (iu)^?}

enough, amply
easily, skillfully

NounEdit

優(ゆう) • (yū) ^{←いう (iu)^?}

A (letter grade); excellence
gentleness

Proper nounEdit

優(ゆう) • (Yū) ^{←いう (iu)^?}

a female given name

Etymology 2Edit

Kanji in this term
優
まさ(る) Grade: 6
kun’yomi

Proper nounEdit

優(まさる) • (Masaru)

a male given name

Related termsEdit

優(まさ)しげ (masashige)
優(まさ)る (masaru)

KoreanEdit

EtymologyEdit

From Middle Chinese 優 (MC ʔɨu).

Historical readings
Recorded as Middle Korean ᅙᅮᇢ (Yale: qwuw) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448. Recorded as Middle Korean 우 (wu) (Yale: wu) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

PronunciationEdit

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [u]
Phonetic hangul: [우]

HanjaEdit

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

優

Wikisource

優 (eumhun 넉넉할 우 (neongneokhal u))

Hanja form^? of 우 (“excellent; superior”).
Hanja form^? of 우 (“actor”).

CompoundsEdit

Compounds

배우 (俳優, bae'u)
성우 (聲優, seong'u)
우대 (優待, udae)
우등 (優等, udeung)
우선 (優先, useon)
우량 (優良, uryang)
우성 (優性, useong)
우세 (優勢, use)
우수 (優秀, usu)
우승 (優勝, useung)
우열 (優劣, uyeol)
우월 (優越, uwol)
우위 (優位, uwi)
우아 (優雅, ua)
우생학 (優生學, usaenghak)

ReferencesEdit

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [1]

VietnameseEdit

Han characterEdit

優: Hán Nôm readings: ưu

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

CompoundsEdit

Compounds