Meaning
賃 (チン, chin) names what happens when money changes hands for the temporary use of something: a room, a train seat, or an hour of skilled work. Its core meanings — rent, wages, fare, and hire — are distinct words in English but orbit a single idea in Japanese: payment for something used, not owned.
Structurally, 賃 splits into two components. The upper element is 任 (にん), meaning duty, entrust, or responsibility. Beneath it sits 貝 (かい), the shell radical. In ancient East Asia, cowrie shells were currency, so 貝 marks financial kanji broadly. Together, the components read as money (貝) entrusted to another (任) — payment for a space, a journey, or labor rendered.
Historically, 賃 appeared in classical Chinese administrative texts as payment for craftsmen and farmers. Japan adopted both the character and its full range of meanings. Rental contracts, labor law, and transit systems all use it daily. With 13 strokes and Grade 6 status in Japanese elementary school, 賃 is considered basic adult literacy.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The sole on'yomi is チン (chin), from its Middle Chinese pronunciation. You will almost never see 賃 written alone — it always appears inside compound words (熟語, jukugo). The チン reading is highly productive across economic, legal, and administrative vocabulary.
Key compounds using チン:
- 賃金 (chingin) — wages, pay, salary; the standard term in employment and labor law
- 賃貸 (chintai) — rental, lease; used in real estate, e.g., 賃貸マンション (rental apartment)
- 賃借 (chinshaku) — renting, hiring; the formal legal counterpart to 賃貸, typically from the tenant's perspective
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
賃 has no standard kun'yomi. Kanji borrowed specifically for administrative and economic writing rarely acquired native Japanese readings — those domains were dominated by Chinese-derived vocabulary from the start. In conversation, 賃 always surfaces inside compounds like 家賃 (yachin, rent) or 手間賃 (temachin, handling fee), where it still carries its Chinese-derived チン reading. There is no standalone Japanese pronunciation for 賃.
Common Words & Compounds
賃 appears in compounds across four practical areas: transportation, housing, labor, and legal agreements. These words show up in rental listings, employment contracts, pay stubs, and station fare boards — everyday reading for anyone living or working in Japan.
Transportation & Travel
- 運賃 (unchin) — fare, freight charge, transportation cost; covers trains, buses, taxis, and shipping
- 旅客運賃 (ryokaku unchin) — passenger fare; the formal term used by airlines and railways
- 送料・運賃 (sōryō unchin) — shipping and handling fees; common in e-commerce
Housing & Property
- 家賃 (yachin) — house rent, monthly rent; one of the most frequently used compounds in everyday Japanese
- 賃貸 (chintai) — rental, leasing (from the landlord's perspective); 賃貸物件 = rental property
- 賃料 (chinryō) — rent, hire charge; formal term used in contracts and legal documents
Labor & Employment
- 賃金 (chingin) — wages, pay; covers all forms of monetary compensation for labor
- 最低賃金 (saitei chingin) — minimum wage; a key term in Japanese labor law
- 賃上げ (chin-age) — wage increase, pay raise; discussed each spring during labor negotiations (shuntō)
- 手間賃 (temachin) — labor charge, fee for handwork; used in craft and artisan contexts
Legal & Contractual
- 賃借人 (chinshaku-nin) — tenant, lessee; the party who rents property
- 賃貸人 (chintai-nin) — landlord, lessor; the party who rents out property
- 賃金格差 (chingin kakusa) — wage disparity, wage gap; a live issue in Japanese economic debate
Example Sentences
毎月、家賃を払っています。
Maitsuki, yachin wo haratte imasu.
I pay rent every month.
この部屋の家賃はいくらですか。
Kono heya no yachin wa ikura desu ka.
How much is the rent for this room?
電車の運賃が先月から上がりました。
Densha no unchin ga sengetsu kara agarimashita.
Train fares went up last month.
政府は最低賃金を引き上げることを決定しました。
Seifu wa saitei chingin wo hikiageru koto wo kettei shimashita.
The government decided to raise the minimum wage.
賃金交渉は毎年春に行われます。
Chingin kōshō wa maitoshi haru ni okonawaremasu.
Wage negotiations take place every spring.
このアパートは賃貸で、毎月八万円払っています。
Kono apāto wa chintai de, maitsuki hachiman-en haratte imasu.
This apartment is a rental, and I pay 80,000 yen a month.
荷物の運賃は重さと距離によって決まります。
Nimotsu no unchin wa omosa to kyori ni yotte kimarimasu.
Shipping charges are set by weight and distance.
労働者たちは賃上げを求めてストライキを行いました。
Rōdōsha-tachi wa chin-age wo motomete sutoraiki wo okonaimashita.
The workers went on strike demanding a wage increase.
賃借人は毎月の賃料を期日までに支払わなければなりません。
Chinshaku-nin wa maitsuki no chinryō wo kijitsu made ni shiharawa nakereba narimasen.
Tenants must pay their monthly rent by the due date.
賃金格差の問題は現代社会における重要な課題です。
Chingin kakusa no mondai wa gendai shakai ni okeru jūyōna kadai desu.
Wage disparity is a pressing issue in contemporary society.
Memory Tip
Picture 賃 (chin) in two layers: 任 (entrust / duty) on top, 貝 (shell / money) below. Imagine handing a fistful of ancient cowrie shells to your landlord — entrusting (任) your money (貝) for the right to use a space. That image covers all uses of 賃. Whether it is 家賃 (rent), 運賃 (fare), or 賃金 (wages), the core is always the same: shells changing hands for something entrusted.