租 (zū): to rent; to lease

Meanings

1 to rent; to lease

Characters

租

zū

rent; hire; lease

Examples

我在这里租了一间房子。

Wǒ zài zhèlǐ zū le yì jiān fángzi.

I rented a room here.

租一辆自行车多少钱？

Zū yí liàng zìxíngchē duōshao qián?

How much does it cost to rent a bicycle?

这个房子是租的。

Zhège fángzi shì zū de.

This house is rented.

Tips

usage

租 means both "to rent from" and "to rent out to" someone. Context determines which: 我租了一间房 (I rented a room — as a tenant). 他把房子租出去了 (He rented out his house — as a landlord). 房租 means "rent" (the payment).

Components

radical

禾 hé

grain; cereal plant

Left grain radical (Kangxi #115) — depicts a stalk of millet or rice with drooping head. Anchors the original meaning: feudal tenants paid 租 to landlords as a portion of the harvest, so the rental concept was literally measured in grain. Same radical groups 税, 秋, 种, 稻.

phonetic

且 qiě

moreover; furthermore

Right phonetic 且 (qiě) — supplies the sound through an irregular shift to zū. The same phonetic anchors a tight family of zū/zǔ readings: 组 (group), 阻 (obstruct), 祖 (ancestor), 诅 (curse). Spotting 且 on the right of an unfamiliar character is a strong cue for these readings.