yen
1 Americannoun
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an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Japan, equal to 100 sen or 1000 rin. ¥; Y
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a former silver coin of Japan.
noun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
noun
Usage
What does yen mean? Yen is a monetary unit of Japan similar to a dollar. It comes in the form of a coin that’s also called a yen. The symbol for yen is ¥. Like a dollar, it can be divided into 100 parts called sen (though sen are not used in practice). The plural of yen is yen. Unrelatedly, yen is a slang term meaning a strong craving, desire, or yearning. It’s especially used in the phrase have a yen for. It can also be used as a verb meaning to crave or strongly desire. Example: Ever since I came back from Italy, I’ve had a yen for fresh pasta.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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yensimple
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yenssimple
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have yennedperfect
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has yennedperfect
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am yenningprogressive
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are yenningprogressive
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is yenningprogressive
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have been yenningperfect progressive
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has been yenningperfect progressive
Past
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yennedsimple
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had yennedperfect
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was yenningprogressive
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were yenningprogressive
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had been yenningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of yen1
1870–75; < Japanese ( y ) en < Chinese yuán yuan
Origin of yen2
1905–10, probably < dialectal Chinese (OAGuangdong) yáhn, akin to Chinese yǐn craving, addiction
Explanation
Besides being the name of the Japanese currency, yen (a different yen) means a casual desire. You can have a yen for sushi, and if you're in Japan, you can pay for the sushi with the yen in your wallet. Yen is a casual word––think of it like "hankering." If you have an easy time remembering rhymes, think "I sometimes have a yen, to go back home again." Sometimes yen can even work as a verb––you can yen for pancakes, or yen for truffles, or yen for a time when you yenned for things other than food.
Vocabulary lists containing yen
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 2
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East Asia - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Citing higher-than-expected gasoline earnings from its North American business and a weaker yen, the company boosted revenue and profit projections for the fiscal year ending February 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven on Thursday said net profit climbed 24% to 60.60 billion yen, equivalent to $372.7 million, for the three months ended May.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
Nomura lifts this fiscal year’s operating-profit forecast for the Japanese company to 255.0 billion yen from 245.0 billion yen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
It raises the stock’s rating to buy from neutral and the target price to 4,800 yen from 4,500 yen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
And do you remember how an easterly breeze brought odors in from Chinatown, roasting pork and punk and black tobacco and yen shi?
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
