憂 means “anxiety, melancholy”

ゆう · yuu

Also: grieve, lament, be anxious

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
うれえる, うれい, うい, うき
On'yomi (Chinese reading)
ユウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 15 strokes

The story

優, gentle, without its person (亻): a head (the top of 頁) over a heart (心) and dragging feet (夊). Picture walking slowly, head down, heart heavy. 憂鬱 is gloom, and 一喜一憂, one joy, one worry, is swinging with every bit of news.

Used in 憂鬱 (yuuutsu, gloom/depression), 憂い (urei, anxiety/sorrow), and 一喜一憂 (ikki ichiyuu, swinging between hope and worry)

More from Joy & Sorrow

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.