唯 means “only, sole”

ゆい · yui

Also: solely, merely, simply

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ただ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ユイ, イ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 11 strokes

The story

A mouth (口) beside a bird (隹): picture one bird singing the only song in the forest. 唯 is only: 唯一 means the one and only, and the newborn Buddha is said to have declared 天上天下唯我独尊, "in heaven and earth, I alone am honored".

Used in 唯一 (yuiitsu, the one and only), 唯物論 (yuibutsuron, materialism), and 唯我独尊 (yuigadokuson, self-importance)

More from Apart & Together

• 遇 meet
• 隔 separate
• 随 follow along
• 添 add
• 疎 sparse
• 媒 medium
• 寡 few
• 附 attach
• 独 alone
• 離 separate
• 従 follow
• 伴 accompany

Learn 唯 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

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