the basic unit of money in Japan; equal to 100 sen
"The price of that traditional souvenir was listed as fifty yen at the local market."
The unit of Japanese currency (symbol: ¥) since 1871, divided into 100 sen.
"The smuggler hid his precious cargo of opium, known locally as yen, in the hollowed-out logs along the riverbank."
A strong desire, urge, or yearning.
Opium.
In plain English: Yen is another word for money, specifically Japanese currency used to buy things there.
"She has no yen for going out in this terrible weather."
Usage: Use "yen" as an uncountable noun to describe a strong craving for something specific, such as food or travel. Do not pluralize the word when referring to this feeling of longing; instead, say you feel a yen rather than multiple yens.
To have a strong desire for.
"She felt an overwhelming yen to travel abroad and explore new cultures."
In plain English: To yen for something means to really want it very badly.
"I have always had a yen for traveling to exotic places."
Alternative form of Yan
"The dictionary entry lists yen as an alternative form of yan."
The word "yen" comes from the Japanese character for a round silver coin, which was originally borrowed from Chinese to describe currency like the Spanish piece of eight. It entered English via romanizations created by missionaries in Japan that adapted this term for foreign readers.