Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

憂える (うれえる) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

憂うれえる

う

れ

え

る

Common word

Meanings

1

ichidan verb, transitive verb

worry about; be anxious about; be concerned about

Expresses personal worry or anxiety about a situation, often with a nuance of brooding. Commonly used in formal or written contexts.

彼かれは将しょう来らいのことを憂うれえている。
He is worried about the future.
親おやは子こ供どもの健けん

康こう

を

憂うれ

える

もの

だ

。

Parents naturally worry about their children's health.

2

ichidan verb, transitive verb

lament; grieve; feel sorrow for

Used for deeper sorrow or lamentation, often over a loss, tragedy, or societal ill. More literary than sense 1.

詩し人じんは戦せん争そうの悲ひ惨さんさを憂うれえた。
The poet lamented the tragedy of war.
彼かの女じょは友ともの死しを深ふかく憂うれえた。
She deeply grieved her friend's death.

Written forms

憂うれえるUsage92%
Standard kanji spelling for worrying, grieving, and lamenting.
うれえるUsage6%
愁うれえるUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
患うれえる
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.

Kanji

憂melancholy, grieve, lament
愁distress, grieve, lament
患afflicted, disease, suffer from

Similar words

心配しんぱいする
More common and casual for everyday worry. 憂える is more formal and often implies a deeper, brooding concern.
悲かなしむ
General verb for feeling sad. 憂える carries a heavier, more literary tone of lamentation or grief.

Etymology

Derived from classical Japanese verb 憂ふ (うれう), which combined 憂 (うれ, 'sorrow, worry') with the verbal suffix ふ. The modern form 憂える is the potential or spontaneous form that became lexicalized as the standard dictionary form.