借りる vs 貸す Borrow, Lend and Rent in Japanese Made Simple

In English, we clearly separate:

• borrow
• lend
• rent

But in Japanese, things work differently.

👉 You only need two verbs to express all three ideas.

This often confuses learners at first—but once you understand the logic, it becomes very simple.

① The Two Core Verbs

借かりる

👉 To receive something temporarily = borrow / rent

貸かす

👉 To give something temporarily = lend / rent out

② Borrow vs Lend (Free Situations)

借かりる = borrow

友ともだちに本ほんを借かりた。

→ I borrowed a book from a friend.

ペンを借かりてもいい？

→ Can I borrow your pen?

貸かす = lend

ノートを貸かした。

→ I lent my notebook.

傘かさを貸かしてくれてありがとう！

→ Thanks for lending me your umbrella!

👉 These are usually free exchanges between people.

③ Rent in Japanese (Same Verbs!)

Here’s the key point 👉 Japanese does NOT have a separate everyday verb for “rent.”

借かりる = rent (you pay)

アパートを借かりている。

→ I rent an apartment.

車くるまを借かりました。

→ I rented a car.

貸かす = rent out (you receive money)

家いえを貸かしています。

→ I rent out a house.

駐車場ちゅうしゃじょうを貸かしています。

→ I rent out parking space.

④ So… What’s the Difference?

It’s NOT about money.

👉 It’s about direction:

借かりる → you receive

貸かす → you give

That’s it.

⑤ How Do You Know If It Means “Borrow” or “Rent”?

👉 Context does everything.

Free situations:

• Friends, classmates
• Small items (ペン、本ほん、傘かさ)

Paid situations:

• Apartment, car, parking
• Business context

Compare:

• 友ともだちに本ほんを借かりた → borrow (free)
• 車くるまを借かりた → rent (paid)

Same verb. Different situation.

⑥ Can You Make It Clear It’s Paid?

Yes, but it’s optional:

お金かねを払はらって借かります

→ rent (literally “borrow with payment”)

有料ゆうりょうで貸かします

→ rent out (for a fee)

👉 Native speakers usually skip this unless needed.

⑦ Quick Summary

English	Japanese	Meaning
borrow	借かりる	receive temporarily
lend	貸かす	give temporarily
rent	借かりる / 貸かす	depends on direction

👉 No new verb needed. Just understand the situation.

Final Thought

This is one of those concepts that feels confusing at first—but once it clicks, everything becomes simple.

👉 Japanese doesn’t separate “borrow” and “rent” like English does.
👉 It focuses on who gives and who receives.

Master this, and your Japanese will instantly sound more natural 🙌