yen

From Medhurst and Hepburn’s romanizations, under the influence of earlier Portuguese romanizations, of Japanese 圓(えん) (en, “round; a round object”) as ye or yen, now 円(えん) (en), from Chinese 銀圓 / 银圆 (yínyuán, “round silver object(s), especially a piece of eight”): 銀 / 银 (yín, “silver”) + 圓 / 圆 (yuán, “circular, round; yuan, yen, dollar”). Cognate with Chinese 元 (yuán, “monetary unit, especially RMB”) and Korean 원 (won, “North or South Korean won”). Doublet of won and yuan.

Origin uncertain, but probably from Cantonese 癮 / 瘾 (jan5, “craving”) originally in reference to opium addiction, 煙癮 / 烟瘾 (jin1 jan5) or 菸癮 / 烟瘾 (jin1 jan5): 煙 / 烟 (jin1), 菸 / 烟 (jin1, “smoke, specifically opium”). Compare the later yen (“opium”) and yen-yen.

From Mandarin 煙 / 烟 (yān), 菸 / 烟 (yān), or Cantonese 煙 / 烟 (jin1), 菸 / 烟 (jin1, “smoke, specifically opium”). Compare the earlier yen (“strong desire”) and later yen-yen.