What is yoyu?

If you clicked on this post, you’re probably wondering what “yoyu” is.

First, yoyu is not a secret tool or even some ancient concept. It can be heard in many TV programs in Japan and is often used in daily conversation.

In short, yoyu is a Japanese concept often used to express whether or not we have enough of something. Whether it’s time, money, energy, or even emotional energy.

In this blog post, I explain the concept of yoyu, including examples of how it’s used, why it’s important, and how this Japanese concept can help you manage your life.

What is Yoyu?

Yoyu is a Japanese noun often used to discuss whether you can afford to do something, and how much reserves, leeway or elbow room you have to do it.

Yoyu is pronounced just like it looks. Yo as in yo-yo, and yu as in you. Yoyu.

Yoyu is made up of two Japanese kanji or characters that both have meaning and can stand on their own. Used together, a direct translation of the two characters might be something like “an overflowing abundance of” something.

Now that we have an idea of what yoyu means, how can we use it, and why should we?

In Japanese, people use the word yoyu to talk about their ability to afford different things.

So depending on the situation, if someone says, “I don’t have yoyu,” others around them can infer, based on the situation, that they mean yoyu in one of the following areas:

1. Time – Enough time to do everything they want or think they need to do.
2. Energy – Enough physical energy to do what they want or think they need to do.
3. Finances – Enough money/resources to live the way they want.
4. Space – Enough room to spread out, live, work, and play comfortably.
5. Capability – Enough experience, competence, and confidence to do what they’re here to do.
6. Emotions – Enough emotional wherewithal to handle whatever is happening in their life.
7. Spirituality – Enough faith or connection with a higher power to carry them throughout the journey.

Using the word yoyu gives us an easy way to express whether or not we have the oomph to do what’s needed at any given moment.

To get a feel for how versatile the word is, let me show a few examples of how yoyu is used in daily conversation.

Yoyu Examples

Yoyu is such a versatile word that can be used to cover different things in Japanese, especially in the examples below.

When someone says they have the yoyu to buy a new car, it probably means they can financially afford a new car.

Or when a coworker says, “I should check on my mom on the way home, but I don’t have the yoyu,” it means they don’t have enough time, energy, or possibly emotional wherewithal that day to be supportive to their mother in the way they want.

After work, we might hear someone say, “I just don’t have yoyu,” while venting with their friend about the project that got dumped on their department during the meeting with headquarters. When that happens, they don’t have to say more. We can usually infer what they mean.

Here’s an image of some other examples of how yoyu can be used in daily conversation.

I encountered the word yoyu many times over the years. Today, I still hear it being used by friends, family, and have even seen it used on many TV programs, by NHK newscasters, sports commentators, or even the so-called “variety” show hosts and guests. You can’t miss hearing it no matter when you turn the TV on.

For a long time, I tried to use words like “wherewithal” and “reserves” whenever I translated the word yoyu. Linguists would argue that no single word covers the full meaning. I’m not the only one who has struggled to find the right translation for yoyu. There are so many ways to use yoyu in Japanese conversation that you can easily find blog posts and YouTube videos coaching Japanese people how to express themselves properly in English when they want to say yoyu.

I propose we make it easier. Let’s just use the word yoyu.

Why is Yoyu Important?

So why pay attention to this funny Japanese word?

If you’re reading this right now, you probably have yoyu, but someday you won’t.

Everybody has yoyu in differing amounts in differing ways all the time. Not having yoyu is uncomfortable and it’s what we hear people talk about the most.

When I was nearing burnout from the weight of helping my husband (Akira) recover from stage 3 colon cancer, while also caring for his father and previously advocating for his mother, I was overwhelmed.

I didn’t know how I could possibly find the time, energy, or emotional wherewithal to care for everyone—including myself—but because the stakes were so high, I knew I couldn’t let overwhelm stop me.

That’s when I started looking at my life through the lens of yoyu.

By using yoyu as my compass, I learned to recognize my needs better, communicate it to others with ease, and balance my reserves so I could continue showing up for my family without losing myself.

Although this Earth plane can feel overwhelming at times, we don’t have to live in a state of constant overwhelm. Being aware of yoyu lets us gauge how much abundance we have or don’t have, and lets us express that to others easily.

My hope is that by sharing my experience in Japan and sharing stories of how real people use yoyu, you can get better at recognizing the ebb and flow of yoyu you have in your life.

And the more we talk about it with others, the more we’ll be able to help others recognize it.

It’s time to bring yoyu to the rest of the world.

If you’d like to learn more, get your own copy of Finding Yoyu: The Japanese Compass for Navigating Overwhelm and Cultivating Abundance in 7 Key Areas of Life.