 Although its use never became widespread in Japan, jade became important to the art of Korea and Southeast Asia.The Chinese word "yù" 玉 "jade; gems of all kinds; (of women) beautiful; (courteous) your" has semantically broader meanings than English "jade" "any of various hard greenish gems used in jewelry and artistic carvings, including jadeite and nephrite; a green color of medium hue; made of jade; green like jade".