In my previous column on the subject of 金 (kin or kane), alternatively meaning money, gold or metal, I realized that I'd barely scratched the surface of this vast subject. What forms does money take? How is it handled? Or, for that matter, how is it mishandled?
To start the ball rolling, the legal tender circulated by the Bank of Japan is produced at the 造幣局 (zōheikyoku, Japan Mint), located in Osaka's Kita Ward. The mint produces both 紙幣 (shihei, paper money) and 硬貨 (kōka, literally "hard goods," but meaning coinage). In daily parlance, however, banknotes are referred to as 札 (satsu, a bill) and coins as 玉 (tama, using the character that originally meant jade or a bead). You will usually precede these words with the denomination, such as 千円札 (senen-satsu, a ¥1,000 note) or 百円玉 (hyakuen-dama, a ¥100 coin).
Payments for goods or services may take the form of 報酬 (hōshu, remuneration) or 給与 (kyūyo, salary), the latter further differentiated by 月給 (gekkyū) or 年俸 (nenpō) depending on whether it's determined on a monthly or annual basis.