U

Template:Short description Template:Hatgrp Template:Pp-semi-vandalism Template:Pp-move Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox grapheme Template:Latin letter info U, or u, is the twenty-first letter and the fifth vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet and the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is u (pronounced Template:IPAc-en), plural ues.<ref>Template:Cite OED2</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Fcn<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn

Name

In English, the name of the letter is the "long U" sound, pronounced Template:IPAc-en. In most other languages, its name matches the letter's pronunciation in open syllables.

File:Pronunciation of the name of the letter (u) in European languages.png

Pronunciation of the name of the letter Template:Angbr in European languages

History

Proto-Sinaitic	Phoenician Waw	Western Greek Upsilon	Latin V	Latin U
File:Proto-semiticW-01.png	File:PhoenicianW-01.svg	File:Greek Upsilon normal.svg	File:Capitalis monumentalis V.SVG	File:Capitalis monumentalis U.SVG

U derives from the Semitic waw, as does F, and later, Y, W, and V. Its oldest ancestor goes back to Egyptian hieroglyphs, and is probably from a hieroglyph of a mace or fowl, representing the sound Template:IPAblink or the sound Template:IPAblink. This was borrowed to Phoenician, where it represented the sound Template:IPAblink, and seldom the vowel Template:IPAblink.

In Greek, two letters were adapted from the Phoenician waw. The letter was adapted, but split in two, with Digamma or wau Template:Angbr being adapted to represent Template:IPAblink, and the second one being Upsilon Template:Angbr, which was originally adapted to represent Template:IPAblink, later fronted, becoming Template:IPAblink.

In Latin, a stemless variant shape of the upsilon was borrowed in early times as U, taking the form of modern-day VTemplate:Sndeither directly from the Western Greek alphabet or from the Etruscan alphabet as an intermediaryTemplate:Sndto represent the same Template:IPAslink sound, as well as the consonantal Template:IPAslink, numTemplate:Sndoriginally spelled NVMTemplate:Sndwas pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and via was pronounced {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. From the 1st century AD on, depending on Vulgar Latin dialect, consonantal Template:IPAslink developed into Template:IPAslink (kept in Spanish), then later to Template:IPAslink.

During the late Middle Ages, two minuscule forms developed, which were both used for Template:IPAslink or the vowel Template:IPAslink. The pointed form Template:Angbr was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form Template:Angbr was used in the middle or end, regardless of sound. So whereas 'valour' and 'excuse' appeared as in modern printing, 'have' and 'upon' were printed 'haue' and 'vpon', respectively. The first recorded use of Template:Angbr and Template:Angbr as distinct letters is in a Gothic alphabet from 1386, where Template:Angbr preceded Template:Angbr. Printers eschewed capital Template:Angbr in favor of Template:Angbr into the 17th century and the distinction between the two letters was not fully accepted by the French Academy until 1762.<ref>cf. "U," in Dictionnaire de l'Académie Françoise, 4th ed., 2: 893. 2 vols. Paris: Chez la Veuve de Bernard Brunet, Imprimeur de l'Académie Françoiſe, 1762. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k12803850/f901.item; and "U," in Dictionnaire de l'Académie Françoise, 4th ed., 2: 893. 2 vols. Paris: Chez la Veuve de Bernard Brunet, Imprimeur de l'Académie Françoiſe, 1762. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k12803850/f901.item.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Better source needed The rounded variant became the modern-day version of U and its former pointed form became V.

Use in writing systems

English

In English, the letter Template:Angle brackets has four main pronunciations. There are "long" and "short" pronunciations. Short Template:Angbr, found originally in closed syllables, most commonly represents Template:IPAslink (as in 'duck'), though it retains its old pronunciation Template:IPAslink after labial consonants in some words (as in 'put') and occasionally elsewhere (as in 'sugar'). Long Template:Angbr, found originally in words of French origin (the descendant of Old English long Template:Angbr was respelled as Template:Angbr), most commonly represents Template:IPAc-en (as in 'mule'), reducing to Template:IPAslink after Template:Angbr (as in 'rule'), Template:Angbr (as in 'June') and sometimes (or optionally) after Template:Angbr (as in 'lute'), and after additional consonants in American English (a do–dew merger). (After Template:Angbr, {{#invoke:IPA|main}} have assimilated to {{#invoke:IPA|main}} in some words.)

The letter Template:Angbr is used in the digraphs Template:Angbr Template:IPAslink, Template:Angbr (various pronunciations, but usually {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), and with the value of long Template:Angbr in Template:Angbr, Template:Angbr, and in a few words Template:Angbr (as in 'fruit'). It often has the sound Template:IPAslink before a vowel in the sequences Template:Angbr (as in 'quick'), Template:Angbr (as in 'anguish'), and Template:Angbr (as in 'suave'), though it is silent in final Template:Angbr (as in 'unique') and in many words with Template:Angbr (as in 'guard').

Additionally, the letter Template:Angbr is used in text messaging, the Internet, and other written slang to denote 'you', by virtue of both being pronounced Template:IPAc-en.

Certain varieties of the English language (i.e. British English, Canadian English, etc.) use the letter U in words such as colour, labour, valour, etc. In American English, the letter is not used, and the words mentioned are spelled as color and so on.

It is the thirteenth most frequently used letter in the English language,Template:When with a frequency of about 2.8% in words.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Other languages

In most languages that use the Latin alphabet, Template:Angbr represents the close back rounded vowel Template:IPAslink or a similar vowel.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• In French orthography the letter represents the close front rounded vowel Template:IPAslink; Template:IPAslink is represented by Template:Angbr.
• In Dutch and Afrikaans, it represents either Template:IPAslink, or a near-close near-front rounded vowel Template:IPAslink; likewise, the phoneme Template:IPAslink is represented by Template:Angbr.
• In Welsh orthography the letter can represent a long close front unrounded vowel Template:IPAslink or short near-close near-front unrounded vowel Template:IPAslink in Southern dialects. In Northern dialects, the corresponding long and short vowels are a long close central unrounded vowel Template:IPAslink and a short lowered close central unrounded vowel Template:IPAslink, respectively. Template:IPAslink and Template:IPAslink are represented by Template:Angbr.

Other systems

The International Phonetic Alphabet uses Template:Angbr IPA for the close back rounded vowel.

Other uses

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

• The symbol 'U' is the chemical symbol for uranium.
• In the context of Newtonian mechanics, 'U' is the symbol for the potential energy of a system.
• 'u' is the symbol for the atomic mass unit, and 'U' is the symbol for one enzyme unit.
• In the International Phonetic Alphabet, the close back rounded vowel is represented by the lowercase Template:Angbr.
• 'U' is also the source of the mathematical symbol ∪, representing a union. It is used mainly for Venn diagrams and geometry.
• It is used for micro- in metric measurements as a replacement for the Greek letter μ (mu), of which it is a graphic approximation when that Greek letter is not available, as in "um" for μm (micrometer).
• Some universities, such as the University of Miami and the University of Utah, are locally known as "The U".
• 'U' (or sometimes RU) is a standard height unit of measure in rack units, with each U equal to Template:Convert.
• 'U' is used as the symbol of the World War II organization Ustaše.
• U is an honorific in Burmese.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Related characters

Ancestors, descendants and siblings

• Template:Angbr: Semitic letter Waw, from which the following symbols originally derive:
  • Template:Angbr: Greek letter Upsilon, from which U derives
    • Template:Angbr: Latin letter V, descended from U
      • Template:Angbr: Latin letter W, descended from V/U
    • Template:Angbr: Latin letter Y, also descended from Upsilon
    • Template:Angbr: Cyrillic letter U, which also derives from Upsilon
    • Template:Angbr: Cyrillic letter Ue
  • Template:Angbr: Greek letter Digamma
    • Template:Angbr: Latin letter F, derived from Digamma
• IPA-specific symbols related to U: Template:IPAalink Template:IPAalink
• Uralic Phonetic Alphabet-specific symbols related to U:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
• Teuthonista phonetic transcription-specific symbols related to U:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
  • Template:Unichar
• Template:Unichar: used for phonetic transcription<ref name="L204132"/>
• Template:Angbr: Glottal U, used in the transliteration of Ugaritic<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• U with diacritics: Template:Angbr<ref name="L204132">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Angbr<ref name="L204132"/> Template:Angbr<ref name="L216032">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Template:Angbr<ref name="L216032"/> Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr<ref name="L204132"/> Template:Angbr Template:Angbr Template:Angbr

• • Template:Unichar and Template:Unichar are used in the Mazahua language and feature a bar diacritic.

Ligatures and abbreviations

• Template:Char: Union, an infix notation.
• Template:Char: Intersection, an infix notation.

External links

• Template:Commons-inline
• Template:Wiktionary-inline
• Template:Wiktionary-inline