Attaches to a number to express multiplication or multiple. Used in contexts like prices, amounts, or comparisons.
The price of this land has become three times what it was ten years ago.
His income is five times mine.
倍 is the standard word for 'times' or 'double' and is more common in everyday speech. 層倍 is a more formal or emphatic suffix used with numbers.
Standard kanji spelling for this suffix/counter meaning 'times'.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 層倍.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 層倍.
Compound of 層 (そう, 'layer' or 'stratum') and 倍 (ばい, 'times' or 'double'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys the idea of multiple layers or multiplication.