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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "debt" in Japanese?
債務
saimu
In Japanese, "debt" is 債務 (saimu).
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Pronunciation
Saimu is sai-moo, the first syllable rhyming with 'eye', the second short and soft.
Writing and usage
債務 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
彼らは借金を返すために一生懸命働いていました。
karera ha shakkin wo kaesu tameni isshoukenmei hatarai teimashita.
They worked hard to pay off the debt.
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How to remember 債務
Say 'sigh, moo' like a tired cow sighing over money it owes, and you've got saimu.
Related words
- price 価格 kakaku
- discount 割引 waribiki
- receipt 受領書 juryousho
- coupon クーポン kuupon
- refund 返金 henkin
- cash 現金 genkin
- budget 予算 yosan
- savings 貯金 chokin
- loan ローン roon
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 債務
How do you pronounce 債務?
Saimu is sai-moo, the first syllable rhyming with 'eye', the second short and soft.
Is 債務 formal or casual?
債務 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 債務 written in Japanese?
債務 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as saimu.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Debt" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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