# 憂 — melancholy; anxious

憂 means “melancholy; anxious”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 15 strokes. On'yomi: ユウ (yuu). Kun'yomi: うれ(える) (ureeru). You'll see it in words such as 憂える (ureeru, “to worry about; to be anxious about”).

- Meaning: melancholy; anxious
- On'yomi: ユウ (yuu)
- Kun'yomi: うれ(える) (ureeru)
- Strokes: 15
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Feelings 4

## How to remember 憂

Parts: 百 hundred · 冖 cover · 心 heart · 夂 dragging feet

## Words with 憂

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 憂える | うれえる (ureeru) | to worry about; to be anxious about |
| 憂い | うれい (urei) | sorrow; grief |

## Don't confuse it with

[優](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/superior/)

## More in the “Feelings 4” set

[謙](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/humble/) · [嘆](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/sigh/) · [寂](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/lonely/) · [憂](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/melancholy/) · [惜](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/begrudge/) · [憾](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/remorse/) · [忍](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/put-up-with/) · [怠](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/lazy/) · [哀](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/pity/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/melancholy/. Last updated 2026-11-01.