Yū

This article is about the Japanese given name. For other uses, see YU.

Yū or Yu or Yuu (ゆう, ユウ) is a very common Japanese given name used by either sex.

Yū

Yū Darvish, a Japanese starting pitcher
Pronunciation	/jɯː/ (IPA)
Gender	Unisex
Origin
Word/name	Japanese
Meaning	It can have many different meanings depending on the kanji used.
Region of origin	Japan
Other names
Related names	Yūji Yūka Yūki Yūko Yūri Yūsuke Yūta Yūto

Possible writings

Yū can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:

• 優, "tenderness" or "superiority"
• 夕, "evening"
• 友, "friend"
• 有, "qualified"
• 勇, "courage"
• 祐, "help"
• 裕, "abundant"
• 雄, "masculine"
• 悠, "permanence"
• 由宇, "reason, eaves"
• 侑, "assist"

The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.

People

with the given name Yū

• Yu Aida (裕), a Japanese manga artist and illustrator
• Yū Aoi (優), a Japanese actress
• Yū Asagiri (夕), a Japanese manga artist
• Yū Asakawa (悠, born 1975), a Japanese voice actress
• Yu Darvish (有), an Iranian-Japanese starting pitcher
• Yu Fukumoto (福本 悠, born 2002), Japanese footballer
• Yū Hayami (優), a Japanese pop singer and actress
• Yū Hasebe (優), a Japanese actress, singer and model
• Yū Hayashi (勇), a Japanese voice actor and singer
• Yuu Kashii (由宇), a Japanese actress and model
• Yuu Kikkawa (友), a Japanese pop singer
• Yū Kikumura (憂), a member of the Japanese Red Army
• Yu Kimura (boxer) (木村 悠, born 1983), Japanese boxer
• Yu Kimura (footballer) (木村 裕, born 1994), Japanese footballer
• Yū Kobayashi (ゆう, born 1982), a Japanese voice actress
• Yu Kobayashi (footballer) (小林 悠, born 1987), Japanese footballer
• Yū Koyama (ゆう), a Japanese manga artist
• Yu Minobe (美濃部 ゆう, born 1990), Japanese artistic gymnast
• Yu Miyahara (宮原 優), Japanese sport wrestler
• Yuu Miyake (優), a Japanese composer and sound engineer
• Yū Mizushima (裕), a Japanese voice actor
• Yu Nakajima (悠), a Japanese Rubik's Cube solver
• Yu Nakasato (中里 優, born 1994), Japanese women's footballer
• Yū Sasahara (篠原 侑), Japanese voice actress
• Yū Serizawa (芹澤 優), Japanese voice actress and singer
• Yū Shiina (椎名 優), usually written You Shiina, Japanese illustrator and manga artist
• Yū Shimaka (裕), a Japanese voice actor
• Yū Shimamura (嶋村 侑, born 1985), Japanese voice actress
• Yuu Shirota (優), a Japanese-Spanish actor and singer
• Yuu Shiroyama (優), real name of The Gazette's guitarist Aoi
• Yū Sugimoto (ゆう), a Japanese voice actress
• Yu Suzuki (裕), a Japanese game designer and producer
• Yu Takahashi (高橋 優), a Japanese singer-songwriter
• Yū Terashima (優), a Japanese manga artist
• Yu Todoroki (悠), a Japanese Takarasienne
• Yū Wakui: (和久井 優), a Japanese voice actress
• Yuu Watase (悠宇), a Japanese shōjo manga artist
• Yuu Yabuuchi (優), a Japanese manga artist
• Yu Yagami (裕), a Japanese manga artist
• Yu Yamada (優), a Ryukyuan model, actress, and singer
• Yu Yokoyama (裕), a member of the Japanese idol group Kanjani8

Fictional characters

with the given name Yū

• Yu Kajima (カジマ), a character from the Gundam anime series
• Yuu Asou (麻生 優雨), a character from the Fatal Frame III: The Tormented video game series
• Yū Kanda (ユウ), a main character in the manga series D.Gray-man
• Yū Komori (ユウ), a main character in Spider-Man: The Manga
• Yuu Matsuura (遊), a central character in the shōjo manga series Marmalade Boy
• Yū Nishinoya (夕), a character from the Haikyū!! anime series
• Yuu Kashima (遊), a character from the Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun anime series
• Yu Ominae (優), the main character of the manga series Spriggan
• Yu Narukami (鳴上 悠), the official name of the protagonist of Persona 4
• Yū Kōtari (神足 ユウ), a character from the BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER anime series
• Yu Ishigami (石上 優), a character from the manga series Kaguya-sama: Love is War
• Yuu Otosaka (乙坂 有宇), a character from the anime television series Charlotte
• Yu Takasaki (高咲 侑), a character from the anime series Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club
• Yū, a character from Dōbutsu no Mori (film)
• Yū Naruse (usually called Yuu-chan), a main character in the manga WataMote
• Yū Koito (小糸 侑), the main character from the anime Bloom into You
• Yū Nanba (難波 悠), a supporting character and party member in Yakuza: Like a Dragon