Translation guide
The English word "rate" covers several distinct meanings: a measure or speed, a price or charge, and the act of evaluating or ranking. This guide breaks down these meanings and provides natural Japanese equivalents for each.
Expressing a rate as a quantity measured against another quantity, such as speed, frequency, or proportion.
birth rate · unemployment rate · exchange rate · growth rate
Suffix meaning 'rate' or 'ratio', commonly used in compound words for percentages, growth rates, etc.
The birth rate is declining.
The unemployment rate is 5%.
Means 'speed' or 'velocity', used when 'rate' refers to how fast something happens.
This car's acceleration rate is amazing.
Means 'ratio' or 'proportion', often used in more descriptive contexts.
The rate of men to women is 3 to 1.
Means 'rate' or 'commission', often used in business contexts like interest rates or fees.
The commission rate is 3%.
Referring to a fixed price or charge for a service, often per unit of time.
hourly rate · interest rate · flat rate · competitive rates
General term for 'fee' or 'charge', used for services like hotels, taxis, etc.
The hotel's room rate is 10,000 yen per night.
Loanword from English, often used for exchange rates or competitive rates.
Means 'price', more general but can be used for rates in some contexts.
To assess the quality, value, or performance of something, often on a scale.
rate a movie · rate someone's performance · highly rated · rate on a scale of 1 to 10
General verb meaning 'to evaluate' or 'to rate', used for assessing quality or performance.
I rated this movie 5 stars.
My boss rated my work highly.
Means 'to rate' or 'to rank', often used for credit ratings or formal rankings.
Means 'to grade' or 'to score', used for tests, performances, or competitions.
The teacher rated the tests.
Means 'to rank', often used for listing items in order of quality.
This site rates restaurants.
率 (りつ) is typically used as a suffix in compound words for specific rates (e.g., 出生率 birth rate, 失業率 unemployment rate). 割合 (わりあい) is a standalone noun meaning 'ratio' or 'proportion' and is more flexible in descriptive sentences.
レート is mainly used for exchange rates, interest rates, or competitive pricing. It is not used for rates like birth rate or unemployment rate. Use 率 for those.
What's the going rate for a babysitter?
相場 (そうば) means 'market rate' or 'going rate'.
The exchange rate is favorable now.
Taxi rates have gone up.
What is today's exchange rate?
The monthly rate for this plan is 5000 yen.
The company's bonds were rated AAA.