憂鬱

• Reading: ゆううつ
• Romaji: yūutsu
• Kanji breakdown: 憂 (yu) — melancholy, worry; 鬱 (utsu) — dense, obstructed, depressed
• Pronunciation: /juː.ɯ.tsɯ/

Meaning

Depression; melancholy; a pervasive sense of gloom, heaviness, or low spirits.

A noun (also used as a na-adjective: 憂鬱な) describing a persistent state of emotional heaviness — more diffuse than acute sadness and often linked to environment, weather, or circumstance. 梅雨が憂鬱だ (the rainy season is depressing) is a classic usage. While applicable to clinical depression in context, it is widely used colloquially for a general low mood.

Examples

1. 雨が続く梅雨の時期は、なんとなく憂鬱な気分になる。 During the rainy season, the endless rain tends to put you in a gloomy mood.
2. 月曜の朝が憂鬱に感じるのは、多くの社会人に共通する感覚だろう。 Feeling depressed on Monday mornings is probably something most working adults can relate to.
3. 彼女は長期にわたる憂鬱を抱え、ようやく心療内科に相談することにした。 She had been struggling with prolonged depression and finally decided to see a therapist.

Usage Guide

Context: mood, weather, mental health, daily life

Tone: heavy

Origin & History

Compound of 憂 (melancholy, worry, sorrow) and 鬱 (dense, obstructed — depicting thick growth that blocks light). Together they convey a heaviness of spirit that is dark and stifled, as if weighed down by something that cannot be cleared away.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal