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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, used in the late 19th century, was an intense craving for opium. The word comes from yīn-yáhn, a combination of yīn, meaning “opium,” and yáhn, “craving,” in the Chinese language used in the province of Guangdong. In English, the Chinese syllables were translated as yen-yen, and eventually shortened to yen.
Synonyms of yen
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Noun (2)
Verb
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
Mia Glass, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Investors have been monitoring for a potential intervention on the Japanese yen.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
In total, Devil calculated that her mother had spent about a hundred million yen, as much as Yamagami’s mother.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The free-to-enter park offers activities in all seasons, including rental bikes (from 100 yen, or about 65 cents, an hour) and fountains in the summer and sledding and snowshoeing in the winter.
—New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
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Noun
The finance minister’s comments come after Takaichi sent a fresh warning on Sunday that the government will be ready to take action amid a weakening yen and surging bond yields.
—Mia Glass, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026
Investors have been monitoring for a potential intervention on the Japanese yen.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
In total, Devil calculated that her mother had spent about a hundred million yen, as much as Yamagami’s mother.
—E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
The free-to-enter park offers activities in all seasons, including rental bikes (from 100 yen, or about 65 cents, an hour) and fountains in the summer and sledding and snowshoeing in the winter.
—New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for yen
Cite this Entry
“Yen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/yen. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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