Dated term for money, now mostly replaced by お金 or 金銭. Still encountered in historical contexts or older texts.
Specifically refers to gold coins, especially in historical or numismatic contexts. Dated; modern Japanese uses 金貨.
The messenger handed the money over to his lord.
In the Edo period, the handling of money was carried out very strictly.
Old gold coins are on display at this museum.
The merchant provided money to cover the travel expenses.
金貨 is the standard modern word for a gold coin, while 金子 in this sense is an old-fashioned term found mostly in historical writing.
金銭 is a formal, still-current word for money used in legal and business contexts, whereas 金子 is archaic and rarely used today.
Compound of 金 (kin, 'gold') and 子 (su, a suffix used in monetary terms). The reading きんす is a historical Sino-Japanese reading.