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yen

YEN/jɛn/

Pluralyen, yens

Verbyens, yenning, yenned

4 meanings of yen

Practice

  1. 1
    nouncountable
    The basic unit of Japanese currency, marked by the symbol ¥ and once divided into 100 sen; also, a coin or note worth one yen.

    Tourists exchange their currency for yen before traveling through Japan.

    The yen strengthened sharply after the central bank's announcement.

    UsageThe plural is also yen: 500 yen (not incorrect: 500 yens).

  2. 2
    strong wishnouncountable
    A strong desire, urge, or longing for something.

    Like an itch you can't ignore until you finally give in to it.

    A sudden yen for adventure made her book the flight.

    He could never quite shake his yen for the open sea.

    UsageUsually a yen for something, sometimes a yen to + verb: a yen for adventure.

    Similardesire, urge, craving, longing, yearning

    Oppositeaversion

    Note

    This is an unrelated word that only shares the currency's spelling. It nearly always takes for, as in a yen for knowledge or F. Scott Fitzgerald's "secret yen for the lovely Scandinavian blondes" in Esquire (1936). Among its neighbors, hankering is the closest in tone. Jones is its slangier cousin.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  3. 3
    long forverbtransitive
    To feel a strong desire for something.

    Many city dwellers yen for the slower rhythms of country living.

    She yenned for recognition long after she had earned it.

    UsageUsually yen for something: yen for home. The n doubles in yenning and yenned.

    Similaryearn, long, hanker, pine, crave

    Note

    Modern use can be playful. Peter Jordan's 1992 acknowledgements describe a book "yenned into existence," riffing on C. S. Lewis's warning about the noun of desire.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    nounslang
    Opium, the narcotic drug obtained from the opium poppy.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of yen apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meaning 1

The name comes from Medhurst and Hepburn's romanizations (influenced by earlier Portuguese ones) of Japanese 圓/円 (en, "round; a round object") as ye or yen. This in turn derived from Chinese 銀圓 (yínyuán, "round silver object"), from 銀 (yín, "silver") plus 圓 (yuán, "round"). It is a doublet of won and yuan.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  • The English name reflects Medhurst’s and Hepburn’s romanizations as ye or yen, influenced by earlier Portuguese romanizations. en.wiktionary.org
  • Japanese 圓/円 is read en and means round or a round object. en.wiktionary.org
  • The currency name derives ultimately from Chinese 銀圓, yínyuán, referring to round silver objects or coins. en.wikipedia.org
  • 銀圓 consists of 銀, yín, meaning silver, and 圓, yuán, meaning round. en.wiktionary.org
  • Yen, won and yuan are etymological doublets. en.wiktionary.org
Meanings 2–3

The origin is uncertain, but it probably comes from Cantonese 癮 (jan⁵, "craving"), originally referring to opium addiction, as in 煙癮 (jin¹ jan⁵). It may be compared with the later yen meaning "opium" and yen-yen.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

  • The origin is uncertain, with Cantonese 癮 the probable source. en.wiktionary.org
  • 癮 has the Cantonese pronunciation jan⁵ and means craving. en.wiktionary.org
  • English yen originally referred to craving associated with opium addiction. gredos.usal.es
  • 煙癮 is pronounced jin¹ jan⁵ in Cantonese and historically referred to craving for opium. en.wiktionary.org
  • The opium sense of yen is later, and yen-yen is a comparable related term. en.wiktionary.org