Meaning of 利息
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- interest (on a loan)
Measure word: 筆|笔
How to use 利息
利息 is the everyday word for interest paid on savings or charged on a loan. It often pairs with verbs like 付 (fù) to pay and 收 (shōu) to collect. Example: 这笔贷款的利息很高。(Zhè bǐ dàikuǎn de lìxī hěn gāo.) The interest on this loan is very high.
利 (lì) means benefit or profit, and 息 (xī) appears in words like 休息 (xiūxi) rest and 信息 (xìnxī) information. Picture your money resting in the bank and quietly producing a benefit for you: that benefit is 利息 (lìxī), interest.
Common mistake: Learners often say 兴趣 (xìngqù) when they mean financial interest, or 利息 when they mean being interested in something. 兴趣 is interest in a hobby or topic, while 利息 is only about money.
利息 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
利 lì · sharp · 7 strokes
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息 xī · to end · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 利息.
| 休息 | xiūxi | rest; to rest |
| 信息 | xìnxī | information; news; message |
| 顺利 | shùnlì | smoothly; without a hitch |
| 流利 | liúlì | fluent |
| 消息 | xiāoxi | (piece of) news; information; message |
| 利用 | lìyòng | to exploit; to make use of |
| 胜利 | shènglì | victory |
| 有利 | yǒulì | advantageous; favorable |
| 权利 | quánlì | right (i.e. an entitlement to sth); (classical) power and wealth |
| 利益 | lìyì | benefit; (in sb's) interest |
| 不利 | bùlì | unfavorable; disadvantageous |
| 利润 | lìrùn | profits |
Questions about 利息
What does 利息 mean?
利息 (lìxī) means "interest (on a loan)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 利息?
利息 is made of 2 characters: 利 (7 strokes), 息 (10 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 利息 an HSK word?
Yes. 利息 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 利息 and 利率?
利息 (lìxī) is the actual amount of interest money. 利率 (lìlǜ) is the interest rate, usually given as a percentage. You might say 利率是三厘 to describe the rate and 利息是三百块 to describe the amount.
Is the 息 in 利息 pronounced with a neutral tone?
No. In 利息 it keeps its first tone, lìxī. This is different from 休息 (xiūxi) and 消息 (xiāoxi), where 息 is usually read in the neutral tone in everyday speech.