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yen

/jɛn/
/jɛn/
IPA guide

Other forms: yens; yenning

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.

Definitions of yen
  1. noun
    the basic unit of money in Japan; equal to 100 sen
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    type of:
    Japanese monetary unit
    monetary unit in Japan
  2. noun
    a yearning for something or to do something
    synonyms: hankering
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    type of:
    hungriness, longing, yearning
    prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
  3. verb
    have a desire for something or someone who is not present
    synonyms: ache, languish, pine, yearn
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    types:
    die
    languish as with love or desire
    type of:
    hanker, long, yearn
    desire strongly or persistently
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