据え置く

• Reading: すえおく
• Romaji: sueoku
• Kanji breakdown: 据 (sue) — to set in place, fix firmly; 置 (o) — to place, leave
• Pronunciation: /sɯ.e.o.kɯ/

Meaning

To leave as is; to defer; to maintain (a rate or price). To keep something in its current state without change.

A Group 1 (godan) compound verb combining 据える (to set in place, fix) and 置く (to place, leave). 据え置く is used in financial and policy contexts — 金利を据え置く (to keep the interest rate unchanged), 運賃を据え置く (to maintain fares at the current level). It also means to leave an object in its current location without moving it. In financial news it is extremely common, as central banks and companies frequently announce that rates or prices will be 据え置かれた.

Examples

1. 日本銀行は今月の会合で政策金利を据え置くことを全会一致で決定した。 The Bank of Japan unanimously decided at this month's meeting to keep the policy interest rate unchanged.
2. 物価上昇にもかかわらず、社員食堂のランチ代は三年間据え置かれてきた。 Despite rising prices, the lunch price at the staff canteen has been held at the same level for three years.
3. 引越しの際も古いピアノはそのまま実家に据え置いてある。 When we moved, the old piano was left as is at my parents' house.

Usage Guide

Context: finance, economics, policy, daily life

Tone: neutral, formal in finance contexts

Origin & History

Compound of 据える (sue-ru — to set firmly in place) and 置く (o-ku — to place, leave). 据える originates in Old Japanese, describing the act of placing something stably. The compound evolved to mean leaving in the current position, later applied figuratively to rates and prices.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adult

Social background: Universal