Skip to content
道Nihongo Path
租

租·tax, levy, lease

On-yomi
ソ
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
租税そぜいtaxes, taxation
地租ちそland tax
租借そしゃくlease (of territory)
租借地そしゃくちleased territory

Example sentences

  1. 国民の租税の負担が重くなっている。

    こくみんのそぜいのふたんがおもくなっている。

    The tax burden on the public is growing heavier.

  2. 明治政府は地租の制度を改めた。

    めいじせいふはちそのせいどをあらためた。

    The Meiji government reformed the land tax system.

  3. その港は百年前まで租借地だった。

    そのみなとはひゃくねんまえまでそしゃくちだった。

    That port was leased territory until a hundred years ago.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 租税 with 祖 (ancestor) — the tax character takes the grain radical 禾
  • Reading 地租 as ちそう — it is ちそ

Memory aid

Picture it

Grain 禾 beside 且, a pile of things stacked up: tax was once paid as stacked bundles of rice.

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 租 mean?