銭せん

noun

sen (1/100 yen)

Historical currency unit; 1 sen = 1/100 yen. No longer used in modern transactions, but appears in historical contexts and fixed expressions.

• 戦せん前ぜんは一いっ銭せんで駄だ菓が子しが買かえた。

  Before the war, you could buy cheap sweets for one sen.

noun

coin of base metal

Refers to coins made of non-precious metals, as opposed to gold or silver coins. Often used in contrast with 金 (きん) or 銀 (ぎん).

See also: 銭 (ぜに)

• この時じ代だいの銭せんは銅どうでできている。

  Coins of this period are made of copper.

noun

1/1000 kan (currency)

Obsolete currency unit: 1/1000 of a 貫 (kan). Used in the Edo period and earlier.

See also: 貫

• 江え戸ど時じ代だいの貨か幣へい制せい度どでは、一いっ貫かんは千せん銭せんに相そう当とうした。

  In the Edo-period currency system, one kan was equivalent to 1000 sen.

noun

1/1000 kan (mass)

Archaic unit of mass: 1/1000 of a 貫 (kan, approx. 3.75 kg). Extremely rare; primarily of historical interest.

• 古ふるい文ぶん献けんでは、銭せんが質しつ量りょうの単たん位いとして使つかわれることがある。

  In old documents, sen is sometimes used as a unit of mass.