Han character 鬰

鬰 is a variant form of 鬱, carrying the same word meanings.

The word's older meanings point to lush, dense growth and fragrance; later senses include being blocked, accumulated resentment, and gloom. The older character behind 鬰 is attested in oracle-bone records and Western Zhou bronze inscriptions: writing carved on bones and turtle shells, and inscriptions on bronze vessels from the Western Zhou era. Shuowen Jiezi, an early dictionary of Chinese characters, describes 鬱 as trees growing thickly. Early ritual texts also use the word for a fragrant plant added to wine used in offerings.

Taiwan's Ministry of Education variant dictionary records 鬰 under 鬱, and simplified Chinese uses 郁 for the related character. As of 2026, Japanese official kanji materials list 鬱 as the standard form.

Why did my keyboard give me 鬱?

鬱 is a standard candidate; 鬰 is the alternate form.

Mandarin pinyin and Japanese kana IMEs convert a reading into a list of candidates. Since 鬰 is an alternate form, it may appear only after you expand that list. Enter Mandarin yu or Japanese うつ, then select 鬰 when you need this exact variant.