Quote:
Originally Posted by risingstar3110
Silly question:
Does "Yen" have any other meaning in Japanese, both in history or modern society (other than the name of the currency)?
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It stems from "a circle (円)". So en is associated with anything circular: 円弧 (en-ko / arc), 円錐 (en-sui / cone), 円盤 (en-ban / disc) etc. Symbolically it signifies perfection without a flaw. 円熟 (en-juku / well-experienced), 円滑 (en-katsu / smooth) and so on.
In addition, 円 often makes pun with other words pronounced as en. For example, 縁 (en / destiny). Japanese people sometimes make offering of 5 yen coin （五円玉 go-en-dama） at a shrine, for 五円 and ご縁 (good destiny) have the same sound.