Several parts combine into one character.

The traditional 錢 is a phonetic-semantic compound: 金 (metal) + 戔 (jiān, "small / paired daggers" — providing the sound). The composite reads as "small metal piece used as currency" — coins. The etymology is precise: ancient Chinese coins were small round bronze pieces, and the metal radical 金 confirms their material composition. Three CJK regions diverged: traditional Korea retains 錢, Japan adopted shinjitai 銭, Mainland China simplified to 钱.

金 (metal) anchors the entire vocabulary of metalwork: 錢 (coin), 銀 (silver), 鋼 (steel), 鉄 (iron), 鏡 (mirror), 鍵 (key) — all related to forged or cast metal objects.

Korean reading "jeon." 金錢 (geumjeon, money — formal), 銅錢 (dongjeon, "copper-coin" = coin / coinage), 葉錢 (yeopjeon, the traditional Korean square-holed copper coin — a piece of cultural heritage now seen mostly in museums and historical drama props), 寸錢 (chonjeon, small change / petty money), 錢主 (jeonju, "money-master" = financial backer / investor — colloquial for someone who bankrolls a venture).

Mandarin qián, 2nd tone (simplified 钱). 钱 (qián) is one of the highest-frequency words in spoken Chinese — "money" is something Chinese speakers reference constantly. 钱包 (qiánbāo, wallet — "money-bag"), 有钱 (yǒuqián, "having money" = rich), 没钱 (méiqián, "no money" = broke), 赚钱 (zhuànqián, to earn money), 花钱 (huāqián, to spend money). Mandarin uses 钱 as a standalone everyday word, where Korean and Japanese prefer compounds.

Japanese on-reading セン (sen) — 金銭 (kinsen, money — formal). Kun-reading ぜに (zeni) — 銭 (zeni, old coin / archaic word for money). In modern Japan, the everyday word for money is お金 (okane) or 円 (en, "yen" — the currency unit); 銭 has become slightly old-fashioned. Critically, however, 銭湯 (sentō, "coin bath" = public bathhouse) remains a major cultural institution: Japanese sentō are public bath facilities where one pays a small fee (originally a few coins) to bathe communally. The word preserves the era of small-coin payment. Going to a sentō is a ritual of Japanese daily life, especially in older neighborhoods where private baths were less common.

Memory aid: metal (金) plus 戔 (small / paired) — small metal pieces = coins.