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Kotomora

銭

coin, .01 yen, money

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · grade 6FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes14

Readings

On'yomi

  • セン
  • ゼン

Kun'yomi

  • ぜに
  • すき

Meaning

銭 centers on small monetary units: a coin, a tiny fraction of a yen, or money in a general sense.

Most common words using 銭

20 of 114
  • 金銭きんせん
    N3

    money; cash

  • 銭せん

    sen (hundredth of a yen)

  • 小銭こぜに
    N2

    small change; pocket change; coins

  • 銭湯せんとう
    N1

    public bath; bathhouse

  • 賽銭さいせん

    monetary offering; offertory

  • 投げ銭なげせん

    tossing a coin (to a street performer or beggar); tossed coin

  • 守銭奴しゅせんど

    miser; niggard; cheapskate

  • 銭亀ぜにがめ

    baby spotted turtle; immature Japanese pond turtle; young Japanese terrapin

  • 銭ぜに

    round coin with a (square) hole in the center

  • 無銭むせん

    without money; no need for money

  • 一銭いっせん

    one sen; one-hundredth of a yen; small amount of money

  • 釣り銭つりせん

    change (for a purchase)

  • 古銭こせん

    old coin

  • 日銭ひぜに

    daily income in cash; money paid by daily installments; money paid by daily instalments

  • 身銭みぜに

    one's own money

  • あぶく銭あぶくぜに

    easy money

  • つり銭口つりせんぐち

    coin return slot; change slot

  • スパ銭スパせん

    large bathhouse with many different services; deluxe public bath

  • スーパー銭湯スーパーせんとう

    large bathhouse with many different services; deluxe public bath

  • タバコ銭タバコせん

    tobacco money; money to buy a pack of cigarettes

Explore all words using 銭 →

Study

Etymology

銭 is the modern simplified form of 錢. The older form combines 金 (metal) with 戔, which likely contributed the sound and the idea of smallness, together suggesting small metal coins.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side is metal 金, and the right side looks like a small stack of coins. Picture a tiny metal coin: 銭 is a coin or a small amount of money.

Reading mnemonic

For セン, imagine a cent (one-hundredth of a dollar) that looks just like a tiny Japanese coin: cent -> セン, and the coin is worth about one cent.