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Although yen suggests no more than a strong desire these days (as in "a yen for a beach vacation"), at one time someone with a yen was in deep trouble: the first meaning of yen was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from Cantonese yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning "opium," and yáhn, "craving." In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen.
Examples of yen in a Sentence
Noun (2)
I have a strange yen to take the day off from work
Verb
what car lover doesn't yen for a new car at the start of every model year
Recent Examples on the Web
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2025
The anime epic opened with $11.1 million (1.65 billion yen) from 1.16 million admissions Friday — a new single-day record for Japan.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
In one mind-boggling case in 2022, a Japanese town accidentally wired the entirety of its Covid relief fund – about 46.3 million yen ($322,000) – to just one man’s bank account.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
For a whopping 550,000 yen (about $3,730), guests will get a night's stay in Grand Hyatt Tokyo's 1,291-square-foot Chairman Suite.
—Jalyn Robinson, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yen
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Noun
Sony sees a tariff hit of 70 billion yen based on rates as of August 1, but said the situation remains fluid.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2025
The anime epic opened with $11.1 million (1.65 billion yen) from 1.16 million admissions Friday — a new single-day record for Japan.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 23 July 2025
In one mind-boggling case in 2022, a Japanese town accidentally wired the entirety of its Covid relief fund – about 46.3 million yen ($322,000) – to just one man’s bank account.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
For a whopping 550,000 yen (about $3,730), guests will get a night's stay in Grand Hyatt Tokyo's 1,291-square-foot Chairman Suite.
—Jalyn Robinson, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for yen
Cite this Entry
“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
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