押金

yājīn
noun HSK 5 #16,066

Measure Word

Meanings

  1. 1 deposit; security deposit; down payment

Characters

Money held as a pledge - a security deposit.

Examples

HSK 4
Zū fángzi yào jiāo yājīn.
You need to pay a deposit to rent an apartment.
HSK 5
Yājīn kěyǐ tuì ma?
Can the deposit be refunded?
HSK 5
Zhè tào fángzi de yājīn shì yí ge yuè de fángzū.
The deposit for this apartment is one month's rent.

Tips

culture
In Chinese cities, the standard rental arrangement is 押一付三 (yā yī fù sān) - one month's rent as deposit, pay three months upfront. In some cities it's 押一付一 (deposit one, pay monthly).
usage
押金 (deposit for goods/rental) vs 定金 (dìngjīn, earnest money - non-refundable) vs 订金 (dìngjīn, booking deposit - refundable). The distinction between 定金 and 订金 is a classic exam question.

Stroke Order

押 yā
金 jīn