税金
zeikin[d͡ze̞ːkʲĩɴ]
The English phrase "taxes" is translated into Japanese as 税金 (zeikin).
税金 is a common and general term used to describe money that people must pay to the government to fund public services. To say "to pay taxes," the standard phrasing is 税金を払う. Other specific terms include 所得税 for income tax and 消費税 for the national consumption tax (VAT or GST).
What does it mean word for word?
The word 税金 consists of the kanji for tax (税) and the kanji for money (金), literally meaning "tax money."
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 税金 is used for both the singular and plural forms of "tax" or "taxes." In strictly legal or governmental contexts, the term 課税 may be used to refer specifically to the act of taxation.
How do you pronounce it?
zeikin
Did you know?
- Historically, before the modern system of 税金, Japanese peasants paid taxes in the form of rice or silk, a system known as 年貢.
- While 税金 refers to the money itself, the phrase 税金がかかる uses the verb 'to hang' or 'to be applied' to describe something being taxable.
- The term 脱税 for 'tax evasion' literally translates to 'shedding' or 'escaping' the tax, similar to how a snake sheds its skin.
Examples in context
- 私は税金に二百ドル払った。I paid $200 in taxes.This sentence is useful for practicing how to say you paid a specific amount in 税金.Tatoeba #155533 by bunbuku, translation #259005 by CK
- 私達は税金を払う義務がある。We have a legal obligation to pay our taxes.This sentence shows how to express a legal obligation to pay 税金.Tatoeba #151450 by tommy__san, translation #263106 by CK
- 税金にはどういう種類がありますか。What kind of taxes are there?This sentence is useful for asking about the different types of 税金.Tatoeba #142485 by bunbuku, translation #272085 by CM
- 10 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are talking about their monthly budget at a cafe.
- 陽太 Yota給料から税金が引かれすぎている気がする。Kyuuryou kara zeikin ga hikare sugite iru ki ga suru.I feel like too much tax is being taken from my salary.
- 結衣 Yui確かに、陽太さんの言う通りですね。Tashika ni, Youta-san no iu toori desu ne.That's certainly true, Youta.
- 陽太 Yota結衣さんは税金の計算は得意ですか？Yui-san wa zeikin no keisan wa tokui desu ka?Yui, are you good at calculating taxes?
- 結衣 Yuiいいえ、とても苦手です。Iie, totemo nigate desu.No, I am very bad at it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 税金, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
