よう

Japanese

Etymology 1

For pronunciation and definitions of よう – see the following entries.

【用よう】2 [noun] use (noun) [noun] a task, business, an errand [suffix] for the use of, for the purpose of, in case of

【曜】2 [affix] sun, moon and stars [affix] day of week [proper noun] a female given name

【羊ひつじ】3 [affix] a sheep (animal)

【洋よう】3 [noun] an ocean [noun] (by extension, from the sense of across the ocean) the East (Orient) or especially the West (Occident) [proper noun] a surname [proper noun] a male or female given name

【葉は】3 [noun] leaf, needle, blade (of a plant) [noun] a season, an age: a shorter period of time within a longer one [noun] an administration: the period of time during which a certain person holds a certain office [counter] (rare) counter for flat, thin things such as leaves or paper [counter] (by extension) counter for small boats

【陽ひ】3 [affix] sun; sunlight; light [affix] yang (in yin-yang) [affix] positive; plus; male [affix] open; overt [noun] yang (in yin-yang) [noun] open (visible space)

【様よう】3 [noun] way, style, appearance [adjective] be like, look like, seem like, as if, having the likeness of [adjective] (as 様ように (yō ni)) I hope; I pray; may [proper noun] a female given name

【要よう】4 [noun] [611] key, important point [noun] [circa 999] essential piece of something, requirement

【養やしなえ】4 [affix] to raise; to rear; to bring up [affix] to support

【容よう】5 [affix] to hold; to contain [affix] to tolerate; to stand [affix] content; substance [affix] look; appearance

【幼よう】6 [noun] childhood, infancy [noun] a young child

【妖】S [affix] attractive [affix] bewitching

【庸いさお】S [affix] ordinary; commonplace

【揚あげ】S [affix] to raise; to lift [affix] to make well-known; to spread

【揺ゆら】S [affix] shaking, swinging, trembling, vibrating

【溶】S [affix] to melt, dissolve, thaw

【腰こし】S [affix] hips, loins, lower back

【踊おどり】S [affix] to dance [affix] to jump about; to jump up

【擁よう】S [affix] to embrace; to protect

【謡うたい】S [affix] popular song

【遥はるか】J [affix] far off, distant

【傭やとい】J [affix] hire; employ

【楊】J [affix] willow; poplar; aspen

【耀】J [affix] shine, sparkle, gleam, twinkle

(This term, よう (yō), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as よう, see Category:Japanese kanji read as よう.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 瘍, 窯かま, 鷹たか, 夭, 拗こじれ, 涌, 痒かゆ, 蛹さなぎ, 熔, 膺, 邀, 鎔.)

Usage notes

Grammaticized 様よう (yō) is most likely to be spelled in hiragana.

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of よう – see the following entry.

【酔よう】 [verb] to get drunk, become intoxicated or inebriated, fall under the influence of alcohol [verb] (figuratively) to become drunk or intoxicated (exhilarated) by something [verb] to get motion sickness (as in carsick, airsick, seasick, etc.) [verb] to get addicted [verb] (archaic) to get poisoned (from eating meat or fish) [verb] (archaic) to get distracted by charm

(This term, よう (yō), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.) For a list of all kanji read as よう, see Category:Japanese kanji read as よう.)

Etymology 3

/mu/ → /ũ/ → /u/ → (for type 2 (ichidan) and type 3 (irregular) verbs) /joː/

From Classical Japanese suppositional / volitional / hortative suffix む (-mu).

Development

The volitional verb suffix was originally む (mu, /mu/). This regularly shifted to a nasalized /ũ/, which then lost its nasalization and was reinterpreted as regular う (u, /u/) by roughly the Kamakura period (1185–1333).

This suffix grammatically attached to the 未然みぜん形がた (mizenkei, “irrealis or incomplete form”) of the verb. Regular sound changes then gave rise to the modern よう (yō, /joː/) ending, initially via fusion of the vowel sounds, and then by a reanalysis of the resulting fused -yō as the suffix to be added to the mizenkei stem. This reformulation as verb stem + suffix -yō started in the late Muromachi period (1336–1573) and continued through the Edo period in 1603–1868).

• 上うえ一いち段だん活用かつよう (kami ichidan, “upper monograde”) verbs with mizenkei stems ending in -i:

見みむ (mimu, /mimu/) → 見みう (miu, /miu/) → 見みう (myō, /mjoː/) → 見みよう (miyō, /mijoː/)

• 下した一いち段だん活用かつよう (shimo ichidan, “lower monograde”) verbs with mizenkei stems ending in -e:

上あげむ (agemu, /aɡemu/) → 上あげう (ageu, /aɡeu/) → 上あげう (agyō, /aɡjoː/) → 上あげよう (ageyō, /aɡejoː/)

• The irregular verb する (suru) underwent further changes. The classical mizenkei stem ended in -e, and せ (se) in classical Japanese was pronounced more as she. Around the same time that the fused shō was separating again into a verb stem + suffix, the mizenkei stem shifted to end in i:

せむ (shemu, /ɕemu/) → せう (sheu, /ɕeu/) → せう (shō, /ɕoː/) → しよう (shiyō, /ɕijoː/)

• The irregular verb 来くる (kuru) has a mizenkei stem ending in -o. This stem includes no front-vowel sound like /e/ or /i/ that might produce the palatal glide in /joː/, and here, the final -yō arose as a parallel construction with the above verb paradigms:

来らいむ (komu, /komu/) → 来こう (kou, /kou/) → 来こう (kō, /koː/) → 来こよう (koyō, /kojoː/)

Meanwhile, for regular classical 四よん段だん活用かつよう (yodan katsuyō, “quadrigrade conjugation”) verbs, the mizenkei stem ends in -a. This ultimately fused with the -u suffix form to produce -ō, resulting in the modern regular 五ご段だん活用かつよう (godan katsuyō, “quintigrade conjugation”).

行くだりかむ (ikamu, /ikamu/) → 行いかう (ikau, /ikau/) → 行いかう (ikau, /ikɔː/) → 行いこう (ikō, /ikoː/)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jo̞ː]

• (Tōkyō) よ​う [-yóò] (Nakadaka)

Suffix

よう • (-yō) uninflectable

1. volitional: expressing one's will or intention to do something

   そろそろ寝ね(ね)よう。 ― Sorosoro neyō. ― I will go to bed before long.

   美よし(お)味あじ(い)しいものを食しょく(た)べようと思おもえ(おも)っています。

   Oishii mono o tabeyō to omotte imasu.

   I'm thinking I will eat something delicious.

2. hortative: inducing or stimulating other person to do something

   そうしよう。 ― Sō shiyō. ― Let's do that.

   さあ、始はじめ(はじ)めよう。 ― Sā, hajimeyō. ― Let's get started.

3. volitional: followed by とする (to suru): to try to do; to attempt to do

   人ひと(ひと)に優ゆう(すぐ)れようとしています。

   Hito ni sugureyō to shite imasu.

   I am trying to surpass others.

4. followed by とする (to suru): to be about to do; to be on the verge of doing

   出で(で)かけようとした時とき(とき)、電でん(でん)話はなし(わ)がかかってきた。

   Dekakeyō to shita toki, denwa ga kakatte kita.

   I got a phone call when I was about to go out.

5. (archaic, formal) suppositional: expressing what is likely the case

   Synonyms: だろう (darō), でしょう (deshō)

   問とい(もん)題だい(だい)はないと言げん(い)えよう。

   Mondai wa nai to ieyō.

   We can probably say that there is no problem.

6. (followed by が (ga) or と (to), often in parallel) whether … or …
   • Blog｜細井ほそい厚子あつこの万華鏡まんげきょう｜透明とうめいな花はな

     その願ねがい(ねが)いが叶かのう(かな)うなら、私わたし(わたし)の万まん(まん)華はな(げ)鏡かがみ(きょう)がオモチャと呼よび(よ)ばれようが、ガラクタと呼よび(よ)ばれようが、そんなことはどうでもいいと思おもえ(おも)っています。

     Sono negai ga kanau nara, watashi no mangekyō ga omocha to yobareyō ga, garakuta to yobareyō ga, sonna koto wa dō de mo ii to omotte imasu.

     I don't think I will be concerned whether my kaleidoscope is called a toy or rubbish, as long as that wish is fulfilled.

Usage notes

Attaches only to the 未然みぜん形がた (mizenkei, “irrealis or incomplete form”) of type 2 (ichidan) and type 3 (irregular) verbs.

Inflection rules for the よう form

Word	dictionary form	mizenkei + -yō (modern and historical kana)
ichidan verbs (type 2)
起おきる	おきる (òkíꜜrù)	おきよう (òkíyóꜜò)
開あける	あける (àkérú)	あけよう (àkéyóꜜò)
irregular verbs (type 3)
来くる	くる (kúꜜrù)	こよう (kòyóꜜò)
する	する (sùrú)	しよう (shìyóꜜò)

The volitional form of type 1 (godan) verbs are formed with う (-u) instead of よう (-yō), with further sound changes.

In traditional Japanese grammar, this is a 助動詞じょどうし (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”), with the sole form よう (yō) as the 終止しゅうし形がた (shūshikei, “terminal form”) and the 連体れんたい形がた (rentaikei, “adnominal form”). Morphologically, this is an uninflecting inflectional suffix attaching to the stem of vowel-stem verbs.

See also

• う (-u)
• む (-mu)
• ん (-n)

Etymology 4

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jo̞ː]

Interjection

よう • (yō) 

1. A very informal greeting similar to yo.

   よう、元もと(げん)気き(き)？

   Yō, genki?

   Yo! Howdy?

2. A very informal (rude) interjection similar to hey.

   よう、待まち(ま)てよ。

   Yō, mateyo.

   Hey, wait.

Usage notes

Women or gentlemen generally use ねえ (nē) instead of よう (yō). よう (yō) is masculine but gives a rude impression at times; ねえ (nē) is more graceful.

Synonyms

• やあ (yā)
• ねえ (nē)
• オッス (ossu)

Etymology 5

Alternative spelling
良いう

ウ音便うおんびん (u-onbin) of Standard Japanese 良りょう(よ)く (yoku).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [jo̞ː]

Adjective

よう • (yō) 

1. Alternative form of よく (yoku)

   よう来き(き)たな。

   Yō kita na.

   (please add an English translation of this example)

   • 2020 May 4, フィルムエストTV, 【20年ねん4月がつ20日はつか】有事ゆうじに関かんする定時ていじ報告ほうこく放送ほうそう‎^[1]:

     お水みず(みず)で手て(て)を良りょう(よ)う濡(ぬ)らしてください。そして、石いし(せっ)鹸(けん)は泡あわ(あわ)立だて(だ)てて使つかい(つこ)うてください。

     O-mizu de te o yō nurashite kudasai. Soshite, sekken wa awadatete tsukōte kudasai.

     (Kansai) Rinse your hands well using water. Then, use the soap by making suds.