債 — “Bond / Loan / Debt” in Japanese

Master (高手)さい

Radical ⼈ · radical 9 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Bond / Loan / Debt” in Japanese is 債, read sai (さい). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 債券 (bond).

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What does 債 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	債
Meaning	Bond / Loan / Debt
Readings	さい
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	債券 (bond)

How to read 債

債 is read sai (さい) depending on the word.

Words with 債

債券

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Kanji read the same way as 債

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28