由 — reason / cause

Grade 3ゆ, ゆう, ゆい, よし

Radical ⽥ · radical 102 The building block this kanji is filed under

由 (readings: ゆ, ゆう, ゆい, よし; Japanese kanji) means “reason / cause”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 自由 (freedom).

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What does 由 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	由
Meaning	reason / cause
Readings	ゆ, ゆう, ゆい, よし
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	自由 (freedom)

How to read 由

由 is read ゆ or ゆう or ゆい or よし depending on the word.

Words with 由

自由じゆうtự do
理由りゆうlý do
由来ゆらいbắt nguồn

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Updated: 2026-08-09