厘
rin, 1/10 sen, 1/10 bu
Readings
On'yomi
- リン
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
厘 centers on a tiny unit of measurement: one rin, which is one-tenth of a sen or one-tenth of a bu. The meaning is purely a fractional monetary or measurement unit.
Most common words using 厘
- 厘りん
one-hundredth; 0.3 mm (one-hundredth of a sun); 0.1 percent (one-hundredth of a wari); 0.0375 grams (one-hundredth of a monme)
- 一分一厘いちぶいちりん
(not even) a bit of; (not even) a hint of; (not) an iota of
- 九分九厘くぶくりん
almost certainly; in all probability; ten to one; in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred
- 分厘ふんりん
(not) in the least; (not) a bit
- 厘毛りんもう
farthing; trifle
Study
Etymology
厘 is a relatively modern character created in Japan to represent the fractional unit rin. It combines 厂 (cliff) with 里 (village), but the choice of components is likely phonetic rather than semantic.
Meaning mnemonic
Imagine a tiny village (里) tucked under a cliff (厂). The village is so small it represents just a fraction of a larger town—like one rin, a tiny unit.
Reading mnemonic
For リン, picture a tiny ring (リン) used as a fractional weight: ring -> リン, and the ring is so light it measures just one rin.