租 means “tax, lease”

そ · so

Also: tariff, crop tax, borrowing

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ソ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

Grain (禾) beside 且, drawn like a stack of trays: picture rice piled high for the lord. In the ancient 租庸調 system 租 was the tax paid in rice; today 租税 is the formal word for taxes, and 租借 is leasing land, even a whole territory.

Used in 租税 (sozei, taxes), 租借 (soshaku, lease of territory), and 租庸調 (soyouchou, the ancient tax system)

More from Pay & Taxes

• 賦 levy
• 捗 progress
• 就 take up
• 償 compensate
• 貢 tribute
• 賃 fee
• 賠 compensation
• 稼 earn
• 酬 reward
• 俸 salary

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.