is a very common Japanese given name used by either sex.

Possible writings

Yū can be written using different

kanji are the logographic Chinese characters taken from the Chinese family of scripts, Chinese script and used in the writing of Japanese language, Japanese. They were made a major part of the Japanese writing system during the time of Old Japanese ...

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 is a Japanese syllabary, part of the Japanese writing system, along with ''katakana'' as well as ''kanji''. It is a phonetic lettering system. The word ''hiragana'' literally means "flowing" or "simple" kana ("simple" originally as contrast ...

katakana is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system along with hiragana, kanji and in some cases the Latin script (known as rōmaji). The word ''katakana'' means "fragmentary kana", as the katakana characters are derived fr ...

People

;with the given name Yū * Yu Aida (裕), a Japanese manga artist and illustrator * Yū Aoi (優), a Japanese actress *

Yū Asagiri , better known by the pen name Yū Asagiri ( or ''Asagiri Yū''), was a female Japanese manga artist from Tokyo, Japan. She made her professional manga debut in 1976. Asagiri received the 1987 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for ''Nanairo Magic' ...

(夕), a Japanese manga artist * Yū Asakawa (悠, born 1975), a Japanese voice actress * Yu Darvish (有), an Iranian-Japanese starting pitcher *, Japanese footballer * Yū Hayami (優), a Japanese pop singer and actress *

Yū Hasebe is a Japanese actress, singer and model. She was one of the original three members of the J-Pop group "Dream". She debuted as a gravure idol in 2004. She has also starred in a number of Japanese movies and TV dramas. She was formerly a member ...

(優), a Japanese actress, singer and model *

Yū Hayashi is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Kanagawa Prefecture attached to Ken Production. Formerly a child actor attached to Gekidan Himawari, he mainly specializes in dubbing roles. He is vocalist of Screen Mode, a band signed with Lantis. Bi ...

(勇), a Japanese voice actor and singer *

Yuu Kashii , known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress and model. She studied at Mejiro University, where she majored in English. History Personal life She married actor Joe Odagiri, who is exactly 11 years her senior, on February 16, 2008, the birthd ...

(由宇), a Japanese actress and model *

Yuu Kikkawa is a Japanese singer and actress. Kikkawa achieved early fame portraying Kobeni Hanasaki from '' Kirarin Revolution Stage 3'' and later debuted as a solo singer with the song, "Kikkake wa You!" Career 2006–2010: Pre-debut, ''Kirarin Revoluti ...

(友), a Japanese pop singer *

Yū Kikumura was allegedly a member of the Japanese Red Army, an armed militant organization. Arrest in The Netherlands Police arrested Kikumura in Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam in 1986 when they found him carrying a bomb in his luggage. After spending fou ...

(憂), a member of the Japanese Red Army *, Japanese boxer *, Japanese footballer * Yū Kobayashi (ゆう, born 1982), a Japanese voice actress *, Japanese footballer * Yū Koyama (ゆう), a Japanese manga artist *, Japanese artistic gymnast *, Japanese sport wrestler * Yuu Miyake (優), a Japanese composer and sound engineer * Yū Mizushima (裕), a Japanese voice actor *

Yu Nakajima is a Japanese Rubik's Cube solver. Yu held the former world record for Rubik's Cube average (11.28 seconds) and single (8.72 seconds). He beat the previous world record holder Edouard Chambon, who had a single solve record of 9.18 seconds. Both ...

(悠), a Japanese Rubik's Cube solver *, Japanese women's footballer *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese voice actress and singer *, usually written You Shiina, Japanese illustrator and manga artist *

Yū Shimaka was a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with Production Baobab, and subsequently with Production Aigumi. He was the Japanese voice of the Disney character Goofy. Filmography Film *''Kagemusha'' (1980) – Hara Jingorō #2 Television an ...

(裕), a Japanese voice actor *, Japanese voice actress *

Yuu Shirota is a Japanese-Spanish actor and singer, most known for his role as Kagurazaka Makoto in the Japanese television drama live action adaption of ''Hana-Kimi'', Kunimitsu Tezuka in the '' Prince of Tennis Musicals'', Tuxedo Mask in the Sailor Moon ...

(優), a Japanese-Spanish actor and singer *

Yuu Shiroyama Yuu or YUU may refer to: * Yū, Yamaguchi, or Yuu, a town in Kuga District, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan * Yuu (wrestler), Japanese professional wrestler * Yuu Shiina, usually written You Shiina, Japanese illustrator and manga artist See also * You ...

(優), real name of

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei Rock music, rock band, formed in Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Recor ...

's guitarist Aoi *

Yū Sugimoto is a Japanese voice actress Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-ove ...

(ゆう), a Japanese voice actress *

Yu Suzuki is a Japanese game designer, producer, programmer, and engineer, who headed Sega's AM2 team for 18 years. Considered one of the first auteurs of video games, he has been responsible for a number of Sega's arcade hits, including three-dimensional ...

(裕), a Japanese game designer and producer *

Yu Takahashi is a Japanese singer-songwriter. He debuted on a major label in 2010, with his singles "Subarashiki Nichijō" and "Honto no Kimochi". Biography Takahashi grew up in Yokote, Akita, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. He started to learn the electri ...

(高橋優), a Japanese singer-songwriter *

Yū Terashima is a Japanese Mangaka, manga artist.SeTerashima YūAoiya Accessed August 28, 2006. After working in the Toho marketing department for a while, he made his manga debut by winning the 1st Weekly Shōnen Jump, Shōnen Jump Original Manga Work Contes ...

(優), a Japanese manga artist *

Yu Todoroki Yu Todoroki (轟悠 ''Todoroki Yū'') is a current member of Takarazuka Revue, where she plays an otokoyaku. She joined the Revue in 1985, became the top star of Snow Troupe in 1997, transferred to Superior Members in 2002 (upon the resignation of ...

(悠), a Japanese Takarasienne *

Yū Wakui is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Mitt Management talent agency. She studied ballet from a young age, which helped create an interest in theatre and performance. During high school, she began the theatrical studies that led her to beco ...

: (和久井優), a Japanese voice actress *

Yuu Watase is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1989 at the age of 18 with the short story "Pajama de Ojama" (, "An Intrusion in Pajamas") and has since published more than 50 volumes of one-shots and long-running manga series. One of her most popu ...

(悠宇), a Japanese shōjo manga artist *

Yuu Yabuuchi Yuu or YUU may refer to: * Yū, Yamaguchi, or Yuu, a town in Kuga District, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan * Yuu (wrestler), Japanese professional wrestler * Yuu Shiina, usually written You Shiina is a Japanese freelance illustrator and manga artis ...

(優), a Japanese manga artist *

Yu Yagami is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for the manga ''Those Who Hunt Elves'', which was adapted as an anime series. His works ''Those Who Hunt Elves'', '' Dokkoida?!'', '' Go West!'', and '' Hikkatsu! Strike a Blow to Vivify'' have been ...

(裕), a Japanese manga artist *

Yu Yamada is a Japanese model, actress and singer best known from her modeling work with ''CanCam'' magazine. Personal life On March 14, 2012, Yamada married Japanese actor Shun Oguri, and is a mother of three children, as of April 2020, according to r ...

(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 ''D.Gray-man'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino. Set in an alternate 19th century, it tells the story of a young Allen Walker, who joins an organization of exorcists named the Black Order. They use an an ...

'' * 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 is a Japanese four-panel manga series written and illustrated by Izumi Tsubaki. The chapters are serialized online in ''Gangan Online'', and have been published in both physical and digital releases of Shoujo Romance Girly and ''tankōbon ...

anime series *

Yu Ominae The following is a list of notable and recurring characters featured in the manga series ''Spriggan'' written by Hiroshi Takashige and illustrated by Ryōji Minagawa. The story takes place during the last years of the Cold War, when mysterious o ...

(優), the main character of the manga series ''

Spriggan A spriggan is a legendary creature from Cornish folklore. Spriggans are particularly associated with West Penwith in Cornwall. Etymology ''Spriggan'' is a dialect word, pronounced with the grapheme as /d͡ʒ/, sprid-jan, and not sprigg-an, ...

'' * Yu Narukami (鳴上悠), the official name of the protagonist of ''

Persona 4 released outside of Japan as ''Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4'', is a 2008 role-playing video game by Atlus. It is chronologically the fifth installment in the ''Persona'' series, itself a part of the larger ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, and was ...

'' * Yū Kōtari (神足ユウ), a character from the ''

BLACK★ROCK SHOOTER is a Japanese media franchise based on characters created by illustrator Ryohei Fuke, also known as Huke. It revolves around its eponymous character, a mysterious black haired girl with a blazing blue eye. The original illustration ins ...

'' 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 Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

'' * , a character from the anime series ''

Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club is a Japanese multimedia spin-off project from the ''Love Live!'' series and its game series ''Love Live! School Idol Festival''. It was first introduced in 2017 as "Perfect Dream Project" and was initially created as part of the game ''Lov ...

'' * Yū, a character from ''

Dōbutsu no Mori (film) is a social simulation video game series developed and published by Nintendo. The series was conceptualized and created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. In ''Animal Crossing'', the player character is a human who lives in a village inhabi ...

'' * Yū Naruse (usually called Yuu-chan), a main character in the manga

WataMote , commonly referred to as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by two people under the pseudonym Nico Tanigawa. It began serialization on Square Enix's ''Gangan Online'' service from August 4, 2011 and is published by Yen Pre ...

* Yū Koito (小糸侑), the main character from the anime ''

Bloom into You is a Japanese yuri manga series written and illustrated by Nio Nakatani. The manga began serialization in the Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine ''Dengeki Daioh'' on April 27, 2015, and ended on September 27, 2019. The story follows two ...

'' * Yū Nanba (難波悠), a supporting character and party member in '' Yakuza: Like a Dragon'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Yu Japanese unisex given names