借り
かり · kari · JLPT N3 · noun
debt
💸 kari sounds like carry: a debt is something you carry until you repay it
借り is the noun form of 借りる (to borrow). The kanji 借 is 亻 person + 昔 old times: a person still owing for something from the past. Its opposite is 貸し (kashi), a loan you give out.
借 — person radical 亻 + 昔 (formerly)
借 combines the person radical 亻 with 昔, which provides the sound and originally meant 'former times.' The character depicts a person engaging in an act tied to time — borrowing or lending something with the expectation of return. Today it means 'to borrow' or 'to lend.'