税

• 読み: ぜい
• ローマ字: zei
• 漢字の分解: 税 (zei) — tax, duty
• 発音: /ze.i/

意味

Tax; a compulsory payment levied by the government.

A noun and suffix used in many compound words related to taxation: 消費税 (consumption tax), 所得税 (income tax), 税金 (tax/taxes), 税込み (tax included), 税抜き (before tax). Essential vocabulary for daily life in Japan where the consumption tax applies to most purchases.

例文

1. この値段は税込みですか。
2. 来年から税が上がるらしい。
3. 消費税は現在十パーセントです。

使い方ガイド

場面: shopping, economics, government

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The kanji 税 combines 禾 (grain) and 兌 (to exchange). In ancient times, taxes were paid in grain, so the character literally depicts grain given as payment to authorities.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal