yen
1 Americannoun
plural
yen-
an aluminum coin and monetary unit of Japan, equal to 100 sen or 1000 rin. ¥; Y
-
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.
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
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.
A weakening yen, while boosting stock returns in local currency, reduces gains for U.S. investors, with a 40% return becoming 20% in U.S. dollars.
From Barron's
A weakening yen, while boosting stock returns in local currency, reduces gains for U.S. investors, with a 40% return becoming 20% in U.S. dollars.
From Barron's
Also, weakness of Japan’s equity markets this morning as well as the retracement of yen weakness overnight may be supporting JGB prices, market observers say.
The Tokyo stock market closed 1.5 percent higher and the yen slumped to its lowest value since mid-2024 on media reports that the election could take place as soon as February 8.
From Barron's
That is putting added pressure on the yen, which fell to the lowest levels against the greenback since the summer of 2024 on Tuesday.
From Barron's
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.
