Translation guide
A person or institution to whom money is owed. In Japanese, the most common and neutral term is 債権者, used in legal and financial contexts. For everyday situations, 貸し主 or 借金の相手 are more natural.
A person or entity to whom a debt is owed, especially in formal, legal, or business contexts.
The standard legal and financial term for 'creditor'. Used in contracts, bankruptcy, and formal documents.
A person who has lent money in a personal, non-institutional context (e.g., a friend or acquaintance).
A company or supplier that has extended credit for goods or services.
Using 債権者 in everyday conversation about personal debts can sound overly formal or legalistic. Instead, use 貸し主 or describe the person as お金を貸してくれた人.
貸し主に今月返さなきゃ。
I have to pay back the person I borrowed from this month.
債権者 is the formal legal term. 貸し手 is an economic term (lender) often used in contrast to 借り手 (borrower). 貸し主 is the everyday word for the person who lent you money.
債権者会議が開かれた。
A creditors' meeting was held.
彼は債権者に全額返済した。
He repaid the creditor in full.
Literally 'lender'. Used in economic contexts, often paired with 借り手 (borrower). Slightly less formal than 債権者.
貸し手と借り手の関係
the relationship between creditor and debtor
An older or more literary term for creditor. Rarely used in modern conversation.
債主が現れた。
The creditor appeared.
The person who lent the money. Natural in everyday speech when referring to the lender in a personal loan.
貸し主に返すお金がまだある。
I still have money to pay back to the creditor.
Literally 'the person I owe money to'. A casual, roundabout way to refer to a creditor without using a formal term.
借金の相手が催促してきた。
The person I owe money to came asking for it.
A descriptive phrase meaning 'the person who lent me money'. Very natural in conversation when you want to avoid technical terms.
お金を貸してくれた人に利子をつけて返した。
I paid back the person who lent me money with interest.
Supplier or vendor, often used in accounting contexts where the company owes money for purchases on credit.
仕入先への支払いを延ばしてもらった。
We got an extension on payments to our creditors.
Specifically refers to trade payables counterparties. Used in accounting.
買掛金の相手先に支払いを行った。
We made a payment to the trade creditor.