Chinese

Adjective

自由

1. free; unconstrained

   我現在感到心裡很自由。 [MSC, trad.]

   我现在感到心里很自由。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ xiànzài gǎndào xīnli hěn zìyóu. [Pinyin]

   I feel really free now.

Adverb

自由

1. freely; unreservedly

   自由發表意見 / 自由发表意见  ―  zìyóu fābiǎo yìjiàn  ―  to express one's views unreservedly

Noun

自由

1. freedom; liberty

   婚姻自由  ―  hūnyīn zìyóu  ―  freedom of marriage

   出版自由  ―  chūbǎn zìyóu  ―  freedom of publication

Derived terms

Japanese

Etymology

Apparently first imported from Middle Chinese compound 自由 ‎(dzij^H yuw) with an original meaning of roughly arising from oneself. Repurposed in the 1860s by Fukuzawa Yukichi as a translation of the English freedom or liberty, as an extension of the original meaning: freedom to act according to one's own thoughts, without restriction.^[1][2]

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• (Tokyo) じゆ​う [jìyúꜜù] (Nakadaka - [2])^[3][4][5]
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑijɯᵝː]

Adjective

自由 ‎(-na inflection, hiragana じゆう, romaji jiyū, historical hiragana じいう)

1. free (as in freedom)
2. flexible

Inflection

Noun

自由 ‎(hiragana じゆう, romaji jiyū, historical hiragana じいう)

1. freedom, liberty

   自由 (じゆう)のために戦 (たたか)う。

   Jiyū no tame ni tatakau.

   We will fight for freedom.

   • 2013 July 10, Revo (lyrics and music), “紅蓮の弓矢 [Crimson Bow and Arrow]”, in 自由への進撃 [March Towards Freedom] (CD, in Japanese), performed by Linked Horizon:

     屍踏み越えて　進む意思を　嗤う豚よ
     家畜の安寧　…虚偽の繁栄　…死せる餓狼の『自由』を！

     Shikabane fumikoete　susumu ishi o　warau buta yo
     Kachiku no annei　…kyogi no han'ei　…shiseru garō no “jiyū” o!

     You pigs who sneer at our will to step over corpses and march onwards
     Enjoy the peace of livestock …false prosperity …the “freedom” of starving wolves!

2. demand (for goods or services)
3. (euphemistic) a toilet, a restroom

Derived terms

Descendants

• Chinese: 自由
• Korean: 자유 (jayu)
• Vietnamese: tự do

References

1. ↑ 1866: 西洋事情 (Seiyō Jijō, “Things Western”), Fukuzawa Yukichi, digital version (in Japanese), http://project.lib.keio.ac.jp/dg_kul/fukuzawa_title.php?id=3
2. ↑ 2004: 「明治の日本が作り出した新しい言語」 (Meiji no Nihon ga Tsukuridashita Atarashii Gengo, “The New Language Created by Meiji Japan”), Takeshi Ozeki (in Japanese), http://hermes-ir.lib.hit-u.ac.jp/rs/bitstream/10086/8702/1/hogaku0030301790.pdf, page 11 of the PDF.
3. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
4. ↑ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3
5. ↑ 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, ISBN 4095102535.
• 1998, 広辞苑 (Kōjien), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, ISBN 4000801112
• 2002, Yasuo Kitahara, 明鏡国語辞典 (Meikyō Kokugo Jiten), First Edition (in Japanese), Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, ISBN 4469021067

Korean

Noun

自由 • ‎(jayu) ‎(hangeul 자유)

1. Hanja form^? of 자유, “freedom; liberty”.

Vietnamese

Noun

自由

1. Hán tự form of tự do, “freedom; liberty”