sen

The word 'sen' entered English in the late 19th century as a direct borrowing from the Japanese monetary system. Its ultimate origin lies in Middle Chinese 'dzjen', meaning "coin, money", which is also the source of the Chinese currency unit 'qián'. The term traveled to Japan as part of the profound cultural and linguistic exchange between China and Japan, where it was adopted into the Japanese language and writing system. In English, it serves as a specific financial term, retaining its core meaning as a fractional currency unit, first for Japan and later applied to the similar subdivision of the Cambodian riel.

This word is a simplex loanword. It is borrowed directly from Japanese 'sen' (銭), which itself derives from Chinese 'qián' (錢), meaning "money, coin, currency".