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自由 (じゆう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

自じ由ゆう

じ

ゆ

う

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 1,000

Meanings

1

noun, na-adjective

freedom; liberty; free

Broadly used for personal, political, and abstract freedom; also as a na-adjective meaning 'free to do as one wishes' or 'unrestricted'.

言げん論ろんの自じ由ゆうは大たい切せつな権けん利りだ。
Freedom of speech is an important right.
ここ

で

は

自じ

由ゆう

に

意い

見けん

を

言い

っ

て

ください

。

Please feel free to express your opinion here.

Kanji

自oneself
由wherefore, a reason

Similar words

勝かっ手て
Often implies doing as one pleases without regard for others, sometimes with a negative nuance, whereas 自由 is more neutral and can refer to rights or general freedom.
自じ在ざい
Emphasizes being able to manipulate or control something freely and skillfully, often used for tools or techniques, while 自由 is broader.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese word composed of 自 (self) and 由 (reason, cause), together conveying the idea of acting according to one's own will. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the compound has been used in Japanese for centuries to express the concept of freedom.