ぎんこう
ginkōhiragana, everyday
In hiragana, "bank" is ぎんこう (ginkō). It is written 銀行 in kanji and means a bank where you keep and withdraw money.
Use it for banks in general, or add a name in front, as in みずほぎんこう (Mizuho ginkō).
Meaning: financial institution (noun)
Which one should you use?
The bank of a river is a different word, きし (kishi). ぎんこう only refers to the financial kind.
How do you pronounce it?
The long う in こう stretches the vowel, so say "gin-koh" with a longer "o".
Did you know?
- In the kanji 銀行, the first character 銀 means "silver".
Examples in context
- ぎんこうはどこですか。Ginkō wa doko desu ka?Where is the bank?
- ぎんこうでおかねをおろします。Ginkō de okane o oroshimasu.I withdraw money at the bank.
- ぎんこうはくじにあきます。Ginkō wa ku-ji ni akimasu.The bank opens at nine.
Example conversation
A tourist stops a passerby near a station in Osaka to ask for a bank.
- Touristすみません、ぎんこうはどこですか。Sumimasen, ginkō wa doko desu ka?Excuse me, where is the bank?
- Passerbyえきのまえにあります。Eki no mae ni arimasu.It is in front of the station.
- Touristありがとうございます。Arigatō gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
