What does yen mean?
Yen is most commonly the name of Japan's currency, the basic monetary unit of the country and a familiar word in international finance, travel, and commerce. In everyday English, yen can also mean a strong or even obsessive desire for something, especially in the phrase 'a yen for' something. For example, someone might say they have a yen for learning another language or a yen to return home. The second sense is informal but widely understood, especially in North American English. The currency word comes from Japanese, while the desire sense entered English through a separate borrowing whose precise source is less certain. In plural contexts, the Japanese currency is normally written as yen, with the amount changing rather than the noun: 500 yen means five hundred units of currency. The word is useful because it has a memorable double life, connecting Japan's monetary system with the universal human experience of longing.
The monetary unit of Japan, equal to 100 sen. By extension, an informal noun for a strong or obsessive desire for something.
"The old camera was priced at 25,000 yen."
To have a strong or obsessive desire for something, especially in informal American English.
"Many travelers yen for warmer weather."
The Japanese currency is normally pluralized as yen, while yens can occur for regular plural use, particularly with the sense meaning a strong desire.
"She has a yen for travel."
One word can mean both Japan's currency and the ache of wanting something else.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does yen come from?
The currency word yen comes from Japanese 円, read en, which is used for the Japanese monetary unit and is historically connected with Chinese characters for a circle. The English word yuan comes from the Chinese monetary name and is etymologically related through the East Asian monetary tradition. The separate sense meaning a strong desire is an early twentieth-century borrowing whose source and exact development are less securely documented.
How yen is actually used
The currency sense is standard everywhere the Japanese currency is discussed. The sense meaning a strong desire is informal and especially associated with the expression 'a yen for something'; it can be used attributively before a noun.
Easily confused with yen
Yen is the currency of Japan, whereas yuan is the currency of China.