The Meaning of kariru [借りる] In Japanese
借りる
かりる
Romaji: kariru
N5
What does 借りる mean?
Translation and Meaning
to borrow, to rent
Definition
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.
Type
verb (動詞・一段)
Stroke Order
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
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.
Usage
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.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: kari sounds like carry — you carry something for a while when you borrow it; imagine a friend handing you an item with a clock to remind you it’s temporary.
Variations
- 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)
Words with the same Kanji
Example Phrases
-
図書館で友達から本を借りる予定だ。Toshokan de tomodachi kara hon o kariru yotei da.I plan to borrow a book from a friend at the library.Lista:
- 図書館で (toshokan de) – at the library
- 友達から (tomodachi kara) – from a friend
- 本を (hon o) – a book
- 借りる (kariru) – to borrow
- 予定だ (yotei da) – planned
「借りる」 means ‘to borrow’ (transitive); it takes the object 本を and 予定だ expresses a plan.
