悠 means “leisurely, distant, eternal”

ゆう · yuu

Also: permanence, long time, leisure

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ユウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

A person (亻) with a staff (丨) and a tapping hand (攵) above a heart (心) at ease: picture an old man strolling with a cane, in no hurry at all. 悠々 is leisurely, and 悠々自適 is a retirement spent exactly as you please.

Used in 悠々 (yuuyuu, leisurely/calmly), 悠長 (yuuchou, slow/unhurried), and 悠久 (yuukyuu, eternity)

More from Rest & Unrest

• 閑 quiet
• 醒 awaken
• 緊 tense
• 緩 loose
• 騒 make noise
• 妥 compromise
• 泰 peaceful
• 黙 be silent
• 穏 calm
• 粛 solemn
• 鎮 calm
• 寧 polite

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