yuri

Yuri is a term with several distinct uses across cultures and media. It can be a personal name in Japanese and in Slavic-speaking regions, and it also designates a genre in Japanese popular culture that centers on relationships between women.

In Japan, Yuri is a feminine given name, often written with the kanji for lily (百合), though other spellings exist. The name is used in literature and media and is sometimes chosen for its floral associations.

In Slavic contexts, Yuri is a masculine given name, a transliteration of Юрий, itself derived from the Greek Georgios. It is common in Russia, Ukraine, and other parts of Eastern Europe and appears in various historical and contemporary figures.

Notable people named Yuri include Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut and first human in space, and Yuri Andropov, a Soviet leader. The name also occurs in fiction as character names across many works.

The term yuri in Japanese media describes stories and art focusing on romantic or sexual relationships between women. It is sometimes called girls’ love (GL) in English and is represented in manga, anime, and novels of varying tone and explicitness.