108
財
Wealth, Property, Assets
JLPT N3
Interesting Fact
The 貝 component in 財 is not accidental. In ancient Chinese writing, 貝 represented a shell, especially the cowrie shell, which was used as a form of money in ancient China. Because shells were valuable, 貝 became strongly associated with money, wealth, and valuable possessions. That connection survived into Japanese kanji. You can still spot 貝 inside many money-related characters, such as 財 (wealth), 貯 (save/store), and 貨 (goods/merchandise).
Memory Trick
“A talented 才 artist paints a giant 貝 shell, sells the painting for millions, and suddenly becomes wealthy!”
Readings
Onyomi: ザイ (zai)
Kunyomi:
Example Words
財布
さいふ (saifu)
Wallet
財産
ざいさん (zaisan)
Property, Assets
財政
ざいせい (zaisei)
Public finance
財団
ざいだん (zaidan)
Foundation
Example Sentence
財布を 家に 忘れました。
さいふを いえに わすれました。
saifu o ie ni wasuremashita
I forgot my wallet at home.