Headword
Language Japanese · lessor 貸す kasu · lessee converse 借りる kariru · formal lessor 賃貸する chintai-suru · formal lessee 賃借する chinshaku-suru · named on this page, not separate entries
Lessor, Lessee, Property, Amount · 貸す and 借りる are a lexical converse pair · working claim, revisable
Voice[Lessor of 貸す ∨ Lessee of 借りる] + Lessee(に recipient on 貸す) / Lessor(に or から source on 借りる) + Theme(を) + MeasureP(で price, or the noun 家賃)
A commercial rental, on this reading, has a Lessor, a Lessee, the Property, and an Amount. They are not four equal sisters of one flat verb. On 貸す the lessor is the outer argument, in Voice, marked が. The lessee is に, a goal or recipient. The property is を. The amount is a measure phrase, typically 月N円で, a で-marked price, or the noun 家賃. On 借りる the lessee is the outer argument, marked が. The lessor is に or から. The property is を. The price is again で. 貸す is not a causative of 借りる. The pair is a lexical converse.
What is different from the English gloss. English rent is direction-neutral. The subject can be either party, and the direction sits in the preposition: rent the room to a student and rent a room from the owner. English lend and borrow are different verbs from rent. 貸す and 借りる are not rent-specific. They also cover lend and borrow. The paid-for rent reading comes from the Amount, the で price, or context (有料, 家賃, and the dictionary’s 使用料), so English rent versus lend is a distinction Japanese does not lexicalize in this pair. デジタル大辞泉 numbers both readings on each lemma. Sense 1 of 貸す is letting someone use one’s money or thing for a period, examples 友人にお金を貸す and 本を一日貸す. Sense 2 is letting someone use a thing for a period and taking a fee, examples アパートを貸す and 土地を貸している. Sense 1 of 借りる prints 友人から金を借りる. Sense 2 is paying a fee and using a thing for a period, example アパートを借りる. The fee is a numbered sense of the same verb, not a second lemma. French louer keeps both directions on one verb. German vermieten splits the direction onto vermieten and mieten. Japanese splits the direction onto 貸す and 借りる, and does not split rent from lend inside that pair.
The four places are the lessor, the lessee, the property, and the amount. デジタル大辞泉 does not put all four in one clause. The lessor lines print the person and the thing, or the thing alone. The lessee lines print から and the thing, or the thing alone. A で-marked sum is not in those examples. It is drawn below as a working measure, and the clause that carries it is marked constructed.
Printed lessor frame · recipient に · property を · sense 1, no fee wording
✓ 友人にお金を貸す デジタル大辞泉 · 貸す sense 1
yūjin ni okane o kasu · friend NI money O lend · lend money to a friend
Printed lessor frame · fee sense · property を · no person · no sum
✓ アパートを貸す デジタル大辞泉 · 貸す sense 2 · 使用料をとって
apāto o kasu · apartment O lend · rent out an apartment
Printed lessee frame · source から · property を
✓ 友人から金を借りる デジタル大辞泉 · 借りる sense 1
yūjin kara kane o kariru · friend KARA money O borrow · borrow money from a friend
| Place | Introduced by (working) | Japanese marking | Case status | English and the live siblings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lessor | Spec,Voice of 貸す and of 賃貸する · source of 借りる | が on the lessor verb · から printed on 借りる sense 1 · に as source is the working alternant | 友人から is printed · a person in に on 借りる is unprinted in the examples read · it is not ranked against から · the definition of 賃貸 names 相手方に inside 貸す | subject of rent … to, of rent out, and of lend · from of rent … from and of borrow · subject of vermieten · subject of 出租 |
| Lessee | recipient of 貸す · Spec,Voice of 借りる and of 賃借する | に on 貸す, goal or recipient · が on 借りる | 友人に is printed on 貸す sense 1 · that に is not the source に of 借りる · アパートを借りる does not fill the lessor | to when the English subject lets or lends · subject of rent … from and of borrow · à of louer · subject of 租 sense 1 on Mandarin rent |
| Property | complement of the rent root · theme | the one を object · お金, 本, アパート, 土地, 金, 駐車場 | one accusative-like object · a second を is unprinted · the fee is not that object | direct object · the goods of 出租 · the one object of давам под наем |
| Amount | MeasureP · で-marked price · or the noun 家賃 | 月N円で is the working price cloth · 使用料 is the dictionary’s fee word · 家賃 is named beside 借り賃 | a numeral で phrase is unprinted on the examples read · it is constructed below and not ranked · 図書館で is a place, and that で is not this price | for + MeasureP · で of price on 売る · the nouns 租金 and 房租 on Mandarin rent |
Marking map. The lemma chooses who is the subject. Read the verb, then the particle that is actually on the other party. に on 貸す is the lessee, a goal. に on 借りる, where it is used, is the lessor, a source. から is the source marker the dictionary prints. で of a price is not で of a place.
Each row lines up one English slot with its Japanese slot. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same status), shift (structural ↔ oblique), or a lexical split of the subject’s direction. Printed lines come first. The constructed lines add the で price, or the source に, and they are labeled constructed. They show the working alignment, not frequency, and not a bilingual corpus.
| Slot | EN form | JA form | Align | EN example | JA example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lessor as subject | SUBJ of rent … to · SUBJ of rent out · SUBJ of lend | subject of 貸す · subject of 賃貸する | = for this direction · the lemma is not the lessee’s · English lend is not a second Japanese verb | rent out an apartment gloss of sense 2 | アパートを貸す 大辞泉 sense 2 · 駐車場を賃貸する 大辞泉 |
| Lessee as subject | SUBJ of rent … from · SUBJ of borrow | subject of 借りる · subject of 賃借する | a different lemma · lexical converse · not a causative of 貸す | rent an apartment gloss of sense 2 | アパートを借りる 大辞泉 sense 2 · 土地を賃借する 大辞泉 |
| Lessee (に goal) | to + DP | に + person on 貸す | = oblique goal · this に is not the source に | to a friend gloss | 友人に 大辞泉 · 貸す sense 1 |
| Lessor (source) | from + DP | から printed · に source working | shift of the English subject’s lessor into an oblique · に here is source, not goal | from a friend gloss | 友人から 大辞泉 · 借りる · 大家に constructed · source に |
| Property | OBJ | を | = | rent a room gloss | お金 · アパート · 土地 大辞泉 |
| Amount | for + MeasureP | で + measure · or the noun 家賃 | shift · English for → で · the numeral is constructed · the fee word is printed | for 50,000 yen a month English only, as a printed clause | 月五万円で constructed · 家賃 大辞泉 · related word of 借り賃 |
The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card shows one frame, with English on top and Japanese under it. The lessor card is 貸す. The lessee card is 借りる. The particle card is the に that changes role. The price card keeps the constructed で apart from the printed noun.
EN · JA · 貸す = lessor
Lend money to a friend.
友人にお金を貸す。
JA · 大辞泉 sense 1 · に is the recipient · を is the thing · no fee in this sense
Move English lend and rent out → one lemma · the fee is sense 2, アパートを貸す
EN · JA · 借りる = lessee
Borrow money from a friend.
友人から金を借りる。
JA · 大辞泉 sense 1 · から is the source · converse arrow ⇔貸す
Move English from → から · source に is the other cloth, unprinted here
JA · same に · opposite role
to a friend / from the landlord
友人に貸す。 · 大家に借りる。
constructed pair · 友人に is the shape of the printed lessor example · 大家に借りる is not a dictionary line · に on 借りる is source, not goal
Move one particle · recipient on the lessor verb · source on the lessee verb
JA · Amount · で or 家賃
for 50,000 yen a month
部屋を月五万円で貸す。
constructed · the fee wording 使用料をとって is printed · the numeral is not · 家賃 is a noun in the related-word line of 借り賃
Move English for + a sum → で · not the place で of 図書館で
Argument difference. English rent the room to a student and rent a room from the owner keep one verb and put the direction in to or from, and the price in for. English lend and borrow are other verbs. Japanese writes the direction as the choice of 貸す or 借りる, and writes the paid reading as a sense of those same verbs, or as the formal pair 賃貸する and 賃借する. The property is を. The other party is に or から. A numeral in で is constructed.
Dictionary lines · checked · quoted as printed
貸す ［動サ五（四）］ １ …「友人にお金を―・す」「本を一日―・す」「タバコの火を―・す」⇔借りる。 ２ 使用料をとって…「アパートを―・す」「土地を―・している」⇔借りる。 デジタル大辞泉 · Kotobank · 貸す · examples quoted as printed · the sense glosses stay on that page · sense 3 is effort, 手を貸す, not this frame · ［可能］かせる is the dictionary’s label, not a clause added here
yūjin ni okane o kasu · friend NI money O lend · hon o ichinichi kasu · book O one-day lend · apāto o kasu · apartment O lend · tochi o kashite iru · land O be-lending
借りる ［動ラ上一］ １ あとで返す約束で、人の物を一時的に自分のもののように使う。「友人から金を―・りる」「図書館で本を―・りる」⇔貸す。 ２ 使用料を払って一定の期間自分の用に使う。「アパートを―・りる」⇔貸す。 デジタル大辞泉 · Kotobank · 借りる · から printed · 図書館で is a place · senses 3 and 4 are help and a borrowed phrase
yūjin kara kane o kariru · friend KARA money O borrow · toshokan de hon o kariru · library DE book O borrow · apāto o kariru · apartment O borrow
賃貸 ［名］(スル) 賃料を取り、物を相手方に貸すこと。「駐車場を賃貸する」⇔賃借。 デジタル大辞泉 · Kotobank · 賃貸 · verbal noun + する · 相手方に is inside the definition
chinryō o tori, mono o aitegata ni kasu · fee O take, thing O other-party NI lend · chūshajō o chintai-suru · parking-lot O lease-do
賃借 ［名］(スル) 相手方に賃料を支払い、物を借りること。「土地を賃借する」⇔賃貸。 デジタル大辞泉 · Kotobank · 賃借 · the example has no source phrase · に in the definition is on 支払い
aitegata ni chinryō o shiharai, mono o kariru · other-party NI fee O pay, thing O borrow · tochi o chinshaku-suru · land O lease-in-do
借り賃 物を借りた代わりに支払う料金。⇔貸し賃。 Related words include 家賃. デジタル大辞泉 · Kotobank · 借賃 · the noun is the fee · not a verb frame
karichin · borrow-fee · yachin · house-rent · named in that related-word line
The clauses below that are not in the block above are constructed. They join the printed particles with a で price the articles do not print. They are not dictionary lines.
✓ 友人にお金を貸す
大辞泉 · sense 1 · に goal · no price
✓ アパートを貸す
大辞泉 · sense 2 · 使用料をとって · no person · no numeral
✓ 友人から金を借りる
大辞泉 · 借りる sense 1 · から source
✓ 駐車場を賃貸する
大辞泉 · formal · する on the verbal noun · no person in the example
✓ 大家が学生に部屋を月五万円で貸す。
constructed · に and を are the printed lessor cloth · the four-place sum is not one dictionary line
✓ 学生が大家から部屋を月五万円で借りる。
constructed · から is the printed source · the sum is not
✓ 学生が大家に部屋を借りる。
constructed · source に · unprinted in the examples read · not ranked against から
貸す and 借りる are a lexical converse pair. The lessor verb makes the lessor the subject. The lessee verb makes the lessee the subject. 貸す is not a causative of 借りる. The converse is the lemma, not an outer wrap of a second event.
Printed order. In 友人にお金を貸す, に precedes を, and both precede the verb. In 友人から金を借りる, から precedes を. In アパートを貸す and アパートを借りる, only the thing is printed. A person between the thing and the verb is not a rule added here.
The same に. On 貸す, に is the goal, the person who receives the use. On 借りる, the working claim is that に is the source, the person from whom the use comes, alternating with the printed から. The particle does not tell the direction by itself. The verb does. That is why an English gloss that keeps one to for every に collapses the pair.
賃貸する is not a second geometry. The verbal noun plus する is the formal lessor wording. 賃借する is the formal lessee wording. The definition of 賃貸 still says 貸す, and the definition of 賃借 still says 借りる. The register changes. The four places do not.
一日 is printed, and it is not filed as a fifth sister. 本を一日貸す names a day. The definitions say ある期間 and 一定の期間. Argument versus adjunct is unranked. The day is not the price.
A question for the price is unprinted. No question word is added to the rental frame. The noun 家賃 is where the fee has a name. A で numeral is the constructed measure, not a printed question.
Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The point of the drawing is a lessor shape with 貸す, a lessee shape with 借りる, one を object, and a price in で or in the noun 家賃. に is drawn twice, because the role changes with the verb. Open one sketch at a time. Which theta role is the object in this low domain is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note. The note is not an analysis of 貸す as a causative of 借りる.
Two external arguments · 貸す the lessor · 借りる the lessee · a lexical converse · working
[VoiceP Voice ← Lessor, 貸す / 賃貸する … を …] [VoiceP Voice ← Lessee, 借りる / 賃借する … を …]
✓ アパートを貸す · アパートを借りる 大辞泉 · sense 2 of each · the fee wording is in the definition · the thing is the object
English rent allows either external argument and puts the direction in to or from. French louer allows either external argument. 貸す is only the lessor’s external argument. 借りる is only the lessee’s. The pair is not one verb with two prepositions, and it is not a causative.
The other party is not Voice · the particle’s role follows the verb · working
[VoiceP Voice ← Lessor, 貸す
[VP 貸す
[に 友人 ] ← goal / recipient = Lessee
[Theme お金 ]]]
[VoiceP Voice ← Lessee, 借りる
[VP 借りる
[から 友人 ] ← source = Lessor · printed
[Theme 金 ]]]
[VoiceP Voice ← Lessee, 借りる
[VP 借りる
[に 大家 ] ← source, not goal · constructed
[Theme 部屋 ]]]
友人に and 友人から are printed. 大家に借りる is not. It is not ranked against から. A sum beside them is a different sketch. French draws the other party of louer as one à. Japanese draws two roles for one に, and the verb chooses which.
✓ 友人にお金を貸す · 友人から金を借りる 大辞泉
The fee word is printed · the numeral is constructed · 図書館で is not this phrase · working
使用料をとって ← 大辞泉 · 貸す sense 2 · no numeral 使用料を払って ← 大辞泉 · 借りる sense 2 賃料を取り ← 大辞泉 · 賃貸 家賃 ← 大辞泉 · noun, related word of 借り賃 月五万円で ← constructed · で price · not drawn as printed 図書館で ← printed · place · not the price
✓ アパートを貸す · 家賃 大辞泉 · 月五万円で constructed
The noun’s name is not yet the verb’s MeasureP. 家賃 is printed as a noun in the related-word line. A constructed 月五万円で is the working measure phrase, the same で price cloth as on 売る. That sale is not this verb. On 出租 the sum stays on the nouns 租金 and 房租. The Japanese numeral is drawn, and it is labeled constructed. The place で of 図書館で本を借りる is not moved onto the price.
Direction in the preposition, in the lemma, or in a numbered sense · working · no English rent page
[VoiceP Pat Voice ← Lessor
[ApplP Chris Appl ← Lessee
[VP √RENT [Theme the room ]
[MeasureP for 50,000 yen ]]]] ← English: rent to Chris
· Japanese: 貸す · に Chris · で the sum
· French: louer … à Chris
· Mandarin: 出租 · 给 unprinted
[VoiceP Chris Voice ← Lessee
[VP √RENT [Theme the room ]
[PP from Pat ]
[MeasureP for 50,000 yen ]]] ← English: rent from Pat
· Japanese: 借りる · から or に Pat
· not a causative of 貸す
English rent keeps both directions and writes them as to and from, with the price in for. English lend and borrow are other verbs. French keeps both directions on louer and writes the other party as à. Mandarin 租 keeps both directions as numbered senses, and 出租 is the lessor lemma. Japanese writes the direction as 貸す against 借りる, and writes rent against lend as sense 2 of those same verbs, or as context (使用料, 有料, 家賃). That is where the frame diverges from the English gloss: the gloss is one verb with to, from, and for, plus a separate verb lend; the Japanese frames are a converse pair, one particle with two roles, and a fee that does not choose a new lemma.
| Layer | rent (EN) · no page | 貸す | 借りる | louer | 出租 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spec,Voice | lessor or lessee | Lessor | Lessee | either · one lemma | Lessor · bare 租 keeps both senses |
| other party | to or from | に goal | から printed · に source working | à for either party | 给 unprinted on 出租 |
| object | the thing | を | を | the thing | the goods · no case ending |
| rent vs lend | two verbs | one pair · sense 2 or で / 家賃 / 有料 | one verb | senses of 租, and the lessor lemma | |
| Amount | for · MeasureP | で constructed · noun 家賃 · 使用料 in the definition | pour where that page prints a sum | the nouns 租金 and 房租 | |
On 貸す, the subject lets the thing, and に names who receives the use when a person is printed. On 借りる, the subject takes the use, and から names who lets it when a person is printed. The thing stays one を object. The fee does not become a second lemma inside this pair.
Working paper · October 2026 · Japanese micro-entry · Beyond Index 2
Commercial temporary transfer in Japanese. The lessor lemma is 貸す. The lessee lemma is 借りる. They are a lexical converse pair, not a causative. Lessor: が of 貸す. Lessee: に on 貸す, a goal. On 借りる the lessee is が and the lessor is から, printed, or に, a source, constructed. Property: を. Amount: で, constructed, or the noun 家賃. 貸す and 借りる also cover lend and borrow. English rent versus lend is not a second pair of lemmas. 賃貸する and 賃借する are the formal verbal nouns.
Not a flat grid of four sisters of one verb. A flat grid would give 貸す and 借りる the same subject, or give every に the same role, or treat 図書館で as the price. 貸す shows a lessor subject, a recipient に when a person is printed, and one を object. 借りる shows a lessee subject, a source から when a person is printed, and one を object.
The fee wording is a sense, and the numeral is a measure. Sense 2 names 使用料. The noun 家賃 names the house fee. 月五万円で is the working MeasureP. It is constructed. 一日 is not that sum.
What Japanese changes, against the English gloss rent, is where the direction is written, and where rent separates from lend. English writes to and from on one verb, for on the sum, and lend or borrow on other verbs. Japanese writes 貸す against 借りる, writes に as a goal on the first and as a source on the second, and does not lexicalize rent versus lend as a second pair. What Japanese changes against French is the lemma cut. French uses one verb and one à. Japanese uses two verbs, and the particle’s role follows the verb.
In 友人にお金を貸す, money is lent, and に names the recipient. In 友人から金を借りる, money is borrowed, and から names the source. In アパートを貸す, the fee sense has the thing and does not name the person. 貸す says the subject lets it. 借りる says the subject takes it. Neither sentence is an outer wrap of the other.
Dictionary frames: デジタル大辞泉, as Kotobank prints it, the verb 貸す, the verb 借りる, the verbal nouns 賃貸 and 賃借, and the noun 借り賃. Constructed material is three clauses: 大家が学生に部屋を月五万円で貸す, 学生が大家から部屋を月五万円で借りる, and 学生が大家に部屋を借りる. Index 2 does not list this rental. No page number is added beyond the Kotobank word pages that were opened.
Records 貸す as the lessor lemma and 借りる as the lessee converse. Records に as a goal on 貸す and から as a source on 借りる. Records source に and a で numeral as constructed. Records 賃貸する and 賃借する as the formal pair, and 家賃 as a noun for the fee. Does not open a separate page for 借りる, 賃貸する, 賃借する, or レンタル.