Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| お金 | okane | [o̞ka̠ne̞] (narrow) |
| 貨幣 | kahei | [ka̠he̞ː] (narrow) |
| 金 | kane | [kʲĩɴ] (narrow) [kõ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
| 金銭 | kinsen | [kʲĩɰ̃sẽ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
| マネー | manē | [ma̠ne̞ː] (narrow) |
While all these terms refer to money, they are used in very different settings. お金 is the standard way to refer to money in daily life. 金 is a blunt, informal version often used in idioms or slang, such as the colloquial term 金欠 to mean being broke or short of money. For technical or economic discussions regarding currency, use 貨幣. In legal or official documents, the term 金銭 is used to refer to monetary matters. Finally, マネー is a loanword from English used primarily in business news, marketing or specific financial terms like money laundering.
Which one should you use?
お金 is the general term for daily conversation. In contrast, 貨幣 refers specifically to 'currency' in an economic or technical sense. 金 is more blunt and can also mean 'gold' depending on the context. 金銭 is a formal, technical term for official or legal use, while マネー is a katakana transliteration used for specific business and marketing contexts.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お金 is a standard and polite term for general use. 金 is informal and blunt. 金銭 is highly formal and intended for legal or official documents. 貨幣 is technical and formal, used in economic contexts. マネー is a loanword used in business and marketing contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word お金 is formed by adding the polite prefix お to the word 金 (kane). This addition makes the word more polite and suitable for standard daily conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
okane
Did you know?
- Depending on the context, the single character 金 can be pronounced as 'kane' for 'money' or 'kin' for 'gold'.
- The term 金 is derived from Middle Chinese, making it a linguistic relative of the modern Mandarin word 'jīn'.
- Using the blunt form 金 instead of the polite お金 can sound aggressive or overly masculine in casual conversation.
Examples in context
- 金欠なんだ。I've run out of money.This example shows how to use 金 to express being short of money.Tatoeba #179688 by bunbuku, translation #433612 by CK
- 時は金なり。Time is money.This is a common idiom using 金 to say time is money.Tatoeba #2825431 by tommy_san, translation #566026 by CK
- 貯金したい。I want to save money.This sentence uses 金 in the context of wanting to save money.Tatoeba #11052243 by small_snow, translation #9564811 by DJ_Saidez
- お金を払う (okane o harau)To pay money
- お金を稼ぐ (okane o kasegu)To earn money
- お金を使う (okane o tsukau)To use money
- 1160 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two siblings are talking about buying a video game.
- 陽葵 Himari新しいゲームが欲しいんだけど。Atarashii geemu ga hoshii ndakedo.I want a new game.
- 陽太 Yotaお金はあるの？Okane wa aru no?Do you have the money?
- 陽葵 Himariううん、全然足りないよ。Uun, zenzen tarinai yo.No, it's not enough at all.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、お小遣いを貯めなきゃね。Jaa, okozukai o tamenakya ne.Then you have to save your allowance.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “money” translations and entries お金, 貨幣, 金, 金銭, マネー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries お金, 金, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
