How to say "bank" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 銀行ぎんこうnounA bank as a financial institution — where money is deposited, withdrawn and borrowed; use it when 'bank' means the place you do your banking, as in 'I stopped at the bank'.
- nounThe katakana loanword for a bank as a financial institution; it overlaps with 銀行, but for an ordinary bank it is seldom the word you want — use 銀行.
- 岸きしnounThe bank of a river — the ground along the water's edge, as when you stand on the opposite bank; it also covers 'shore' and 'coast', never the financial sense.彼らはその船を岸にあげた。↗They drew the boat on the beach.
- 堤防ていぼうnounA bank in the embankment sense — a levee built to hold back water and protect the land behind it, typically along a river; it also means 'weir'.
- 土手どてnounAn earthen embankment or bank — a raised earthwork such as the bank running along a river; it overlaps with 堤防 but is specifically an earth bank.
For the financial sense use 銀行 (「バンク」 is the loanword); for the waterside sense 岸 is the land along the water, while 堤防 and 土手 are banks in the embankment sense.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
