為替かわせ

か

わ

せ

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

money order; draft

Refers to a financial instrument for transferring money, such as a postal money order or a bank draft.

郵ゆう便びん局きょくで為替かわせを送そう金きんした。
I sent a money order at the post office.
海かい外がい送そう金きんには銀ぎん行こう為替かわせを利り用

よう

する

。

I use a bank draft for overseas remittances.

2

noun

exchange; foreign exchange

Used in financial contexts for currency exchange; often appears in compounds like 外国為替 (foreign exchange).

外がい国こく為替かわせ市し場じょうで円えん高だかが進すすんでいる。
The yen is strengthening in the foreign exchange market.

Written forms

Applies to each form listed below

gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

為替Usage100%
- かわせ
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading かわせ is a jukujikun.
- かわし
  out-dated reading
かわし
out-dated reading

Kanji

為do, change, make
替exchange, spare, substitute

Similar words

送そう金きん
送金 is the act of sending money, while 為替 is the instrument (money order/draft) or the exchange system itself.
両りょう替がえ
両替 refers to exchanging money (e.g., changing yen into dollars), while 為替 in the exchange sense is more about the financial system or instruments.

Etymology

The kanji 為 (do, purpose) and 替 (exchange) combine to mean 'exchange for a purpose'. The reading かわせ is a jukujikun, not derived from the individual kanji readings.