貸

Lend

か(す) (kasu)

JLPT N4

Interesting Fact

Today, Japan has an amazing rental culture. 🚲 You can easily rent bicycles, umbrellas, portable Wi-Fi, camping gear, and even formal clothing. Rather than owning everything, many people prefer borrowing what they need for a short time—a modern example of the idea behind 貸, to lend something so others can use it.

Memory Trick

The kanji 貸 combines 代, meaning "to substitute or temporarily replace," with 貝, the ancient symbol for money. 🐚 Together, they capture the idea of temporarily giving something valuable to another person, expecting it to return later. That is the essence of lending.