Word
借りる
Meaning in Englishto borrow, to owe
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
Borrow means to receive something from someone with the obligation to return it; used for objects, money, or services for temporary use and is used in casual and polite contexts with appropriate conjugations.
Main meanings
- to borrow from someone — kariru
- to rent or use temporarily — kariru
- to borrow money or take a loan — kariru
- figuratively, to borrow an idea or expression — kariru
How to use it
Borrowing is used with the object marked by を, as in 本を借りる; to indicate the source use から or に, as in 友人から本を借りる and お金を借りる; in polite speech 借ります, negative 借りません; the te-form is 借りて for sequencing; you can also use 〜てもいい to request permission.
Variants and close terms
- 借用する — しゃくようする (to borrow formally)
- 貸す — かす (to lend; antonym)
- 返す — かえす (to return; related verb)
- アイデアを借りる — かりる (to borrow an idea)
Composition
- 借: left component 亻 indicates a person involved in the action; the right component 昔 evokes the sense of something obtained or taken; together they form the concept of obtaining something from another person, i.e., borrowing;
- りる: okurigana that turns the noun-like stem 借り into a verb, indicating the action of borrowing.
Word class
verb (動詞・一段)