うん

Japanese

Etymology 1
For pronunciation and definitions of うん – see the following entries.
【雲】2
[affix] cloud
[affix] (figuratively) high, tall, far-off, or distant
[affix] (historical) Short for 出雲国 (Izumo-no-kuni): Izumo Province
[noun] (rare) a mochi rice cake
[proper noun] a female given name
[proper noun] a surname
【運】3
[noun] luck, fortune
[affix] move
[affix] carry; transport
[affix] put to work; operate
[affix] luck; fate
【云】J
[affix] say
【暈】H
[noun] halo (atmospheric phenomenon)
[affix] halo (atmospheric phenomenon)
[affix] dizzy; giddy
【蘊】H
[affix] pile up; gather; accumulate
[affix] depths; bottom; interior
[affix] (Buddhism) skandha (aggregate)
[noun] abundance, plentifulness
[noun] (Buddhism) a skandha (aggregate)
【吽】H
[noun] (Buddhism) the Sanskrit syllable hūṃ
(This term, うん, is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as うん, see Category:Japanese kanji read as うん.)

Etymology 2

Compare Korean 응 (eung, “yeah, yes”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /m̩/, [m̩˦˨]
    • Usually pronounced with the mouth closed.

Interjection

うん • (un) 

  1. (informal) yeah, uh-huh, mhm (an interjection expressing agreement)
Synonyms
Antonyms

Etymology 3

Onomatopoeia of the grunting noise made when straining oneself in effort.[2]

The prefix usage appears in the Kanto region during the Edo period.[2]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ɯ̟̃ᵝɴ]

Adverb

うん • (un) 

  1. strainingly, with a grunt
  2. sufferingly, groaningly
Usage notes

Takes the adverbial particle と (to)

Prefix

うん • (un-) 

  1. (archaic) added to various verbs to indicate forceful or excessive action
    うん飲(の)む
    unnomu
    to drink with gusto

Derived terms

References
  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
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