円玉(えんだま)

円玉(えんだま) is a compound of 円(えん) ("yen") and 玉(だま)/玉(たま) ("ball, round object," a suffix used for round small objects including coins). It denotes a yen coin and is essentially always preceded by a numeric denomination, although in contrastive contexts it can stand alone (e.g. 円玉(えんだま)とお札(さつ), "coins and bills").

Forms

• 一円玉(いちえんだま): 1-yen coin (aluminum)
• 五円玉(ごえんだま): 5-yen coin (brass, with center hole)
• 十円玉(じゅうえんだま): 10-yen coin (bronze)
• 五十円玉(ごじゅうえんだま): 50-yen coin (cupronickel, with center hole)
• 百円玉(ひゃくえんだま): 100-yen coin (cupronickel)
• 五百円玉(ごひゃくえんだま): 500-yen coin (the largest in everyday circulation)

Common collocations

• 百円玉(ひゃくえんだま)を入(い)れる: to insert a 100-yen coin (e.g., into a vending machine)
• 五百円玉(ごひゃくえんだま)を貯(た)める: to save up 500-yen coins (a popular saving habit)
• 小銭(こぜに)と円玉(えんだま)を分(わ)ける: to separate coins from bills

Counter

• The counter for coins as physical objects is 枚(まい) when speaking of an individual coin: 百円玉(ひゃくえんだま)一枚(いちまい) ("one 100-yen coin"). In casual speech, 個(こ) also occurs.

Related words

• 小銭(こぜに): small change / coins (collective)
• 硬貨(こうか): coin (the formal/written term, used in laws and bank language)
• お札(さつ) / 紙幣(しへい): paper bills
• 玉(たま) / 玉(だま): ball, round object (used in many other compounds: 目玉(めだま) "eyeball," 水玉(みずたま) "water drop / polka dot")

Usage

• The reading is rendaku-shifted: 玉(たま) → だま after another element (百円(ひゃくえん) + 玉(たま) → ひゃくえんだま).
• 円玉(えんだま) is used in everyday speech; in formal writing, banking, and legal contexts, the coin is referred to as 硬貨(こうか) (e.g., 百円硬貨(ひゃくえんこうか)).