bu C2+ Topic:Mathematics & Measurement US /bu/ UK /buː/ See IPA manual Homophones boo /bu/ Meanings 1 noun a former Japanese unit of length or coinage The merchant priced the silk at three bu per length. Etymology AI details From Japanese 分 (bu), a unit of measurement and currency denoting a fraction (literally 'part, portion'), borrowed into English in descriptions of historical Japan. 分 Japanese View etymology graph -> Topics Mathematics & Measurement External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # bu **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /bu/ **IPA (UK):** /buː/ ## Meanings 1. a former Japanese unit of length or coinage ## Examples - The merchant priced the silk at three bu per length. ## Roots and Affixes - Root: 分 ## Etymology From Japanese 分 (bu), a unit of measurement and currency denoting a fraction (literally 'part, portion'), borrowed into English in descriptions of historical Japan. ## AI Etymology Bu is a noun meaning "a former Japanese unit of length or coinage". Historically, it is from Japanese 分 (bu), a unit of measurement and currency denoting a fraction (literally 'part, portion'), borrowed into English in descriptions of historical Japan. The historical chain is anchored in Japanese 分. This keeps the modern noun sense tied to the older forms and language sequence behind it. ## Topics - Mathematics & Measurement markdown