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道Nihongo Path

利息

りそく

interest (on a loan or deposit)

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 預金の利息はごくわずかだ。

    よきんのりそくはごくわずかだ。

    The interest on the deposit is very small.

  2. 利息を含めて返済しなければならない。

    りそくをふくめてへんさいしなければならない。

    You have to repay it including the interest.

  3. 借金の利息を払うだけで毎月苦しい。

    しゃっきんのりそくをはらうだけでまいつきくるしい。

    Just paying the interest on the loan makes every month a struggle.

Common patterns

利息が付く
for interest to accrue
利息を払う
to pay interest
高い利息
high interest

Memory tip

利息 and 利子 are the money itself, an amount in yen; 金利 is the rate expressed as a percentage. Banks tend to write 利息 for deposits.

Kanji in this word

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What does 利息 mean?