Convert JPY to PLN Japanese yen ↔ Polish zloty Free Online Secure
Type an amount in Japanese yen and read it in Polish zloty at once. The page uses the European Central Bank's reference rate, and tells you which day that rate is from.
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Common amounts — Convert JPY to PLN (Japanese yen ↔ Polish zloty)
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The last thirty days
Where these codes and rates come from
The three letters in EUR, USD or JPY are not an abbreviation someone invented for a website: they are ISO 4217, a standard in which the first two letters are the country's own code and the third is usually the initial of the currency. The figures on this page come from the European Central Bank, which publishes one set of reference rates each working day, around 16:00 Central European time, agreed between the central banks of the Eurosystem. They are a daily snapshot meant for statistics and accounting, not a live trading feed — which is exactly why they are the same number for everyone, rather than whatever one bank happened to quote at one moment.
Where you meet an exchange rate
You meet an exchange rate four or five times a year without thinking about it: booking a trip, paying an invoice issued abroad, buying from a foreign shop, reading a salary offer in another currency, or checking what a card charge really cost. In all of these the reference rate is the honest middle, and the price you actually pay sits a little to one side of it. Knowing the middle is what lets you see how wide that margin is.
Questions people ask
Is this the rate my bank will give me?
No, and no page can promise one. This is the European Central Bank's reference rate: the midpoint published once a day for statistics. A bank, a card scheme or an exchange office adds its own margin on top — usually between half a percent and three percent, sometimes more at an airport counter. Use this figure to judge the offer you are given, not to predict it.
How often does the figure change, and what happens at weekends?
The European Central Bank publishes once each working day, in the afternoon, Central European time. There is no publication on Saturdays, Sundays or TARGET holidays, so on those days the page shows the last working day's rate and says which day it belongs to. The chart alongside is one year of the same daily series.
Is the answer exact?
Where both units are defined in terms of one another by whole numbers, yes — the page says so above the figure, and the only rounding is in how many digits are shown. Where the ratio has no finite decimal, the page shows twelve significant digits and says the relation is approximate rather than pretending otherwise.
Does anything I type leave my device?
No. The arithmetic runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded and there is no server to upload it to. Load the page once and it keeps working with the network switched off.
Five episodes of Polish-Japanese friendship, and what the yen buys in zloty
Poland and Japan are separated by eight thousand kilometres, and yet their peoples have felt a surprising warmth towards each other for more than a century. In the early 1920s, the Japanese Red Cross rescued hundreds of Polish orphans from Siberia and brought them home via Japan, where they were fed, clothed and cared for. Decades later, the Polish film director Andrzej Wajda used the money from a Japanese prize to found a museum of Japanese art in Kraków. Japanese companies have since built factories across Poland, and Japanese tourists come to see Kraków, Warsaw and Gdańsk. For those who move money between the two countries, the first question is simple: how many Polish zloty does a yen buy? This page answers it. It takes the European Central Bank's reference rates, in which the yen and the zloty are each quoted against the euro, combines them into a yen-to-zloty rate, shows the result with the date and keeps your amount in your browser. The text below tells five episodes of the friendship, and each is a reason to Convert JPY to PLN and to understand what the figure means.
Using the converter
Yen in, zloty out
Before any Polish purchase, Convert JPY to PLN once, then keep the figure in your head while you compare shop windows.
Type an amount in yen and the page returns the value in Polish zloty, with the date of the rate beneath the result. A yen is worth only a small fraction of a zloty, so the result has decimals; read it with care. At weekends the page shows Friday's figure and says so. A table of round amounts and a thirty-day line follow. For zloty into yen, use Convert PLN to JPY.
The nature of the reference rate
The European Central Bank publishes the rate once on each working day. It is the middle of the market, with no profit built in for any bank or card network. Transfers, cards and exchange counters give a little less, and the difference is the cost of the service. Use the page as a ruler for offers: under one per cent is excellent, two or three per cent is typical for banks, and above four is a reason to compare. Each time you Convert JPY to PLN here, you obtain that ruler.
Episode one: the Siberian orphans, 1920 to 1922
A rescue across the world
After the First World War and the Russian Revolution, tens of thousands of Poles were deported or stranded in Siberia, and many children were orphaned by hunger and disease. In 1919 a Polish committee in Vladivostok appealed for help. The Japanese Red Cross responded, and between 1920 and 1922 it brought 765 Polish children across the Sea of Japan, housed them in Tokyo and Osaka, and shipped them to Poland. Japanese families, nurses and schoolchildren took part. The children recalled the kindness all their lives, and a monument and association keep the story alive.
Gratitude, then and now
In 1995 and 2011, Poland sent aid to Japan after the Kobe and Tōhoku earthquakes, partly in memory of the rescue. A group of Polish children visited Japan in 2012. The story is taught in schools in both countries. When Japanese visitors reach Warsaw, many lay flowers at the memorial. The relationship is often described as one of mutual debt and respect.
Remembering through travel
Visitors from Japan to Warsaw find a museum and monument to the rescue, free to see. Polish visitors to Tokyo can see the plaque in the Red Cross hospital grounds. Small donations to these causes cost a few hundred yen or a few zloty.
Episode two: the Manggha Museum in Kraków
A prize turned into a museum
In 1987, Andrzej Wajda received the Kyoto Prize, a Japanese award for lifetime achievement, which came with a large sum of money. He decided to use it to build a home in Kraków for the collection of Japanese art assembled a century earlier by Feliks Jasieński, who gave himself the nickname Manggha, after the sketchbooks of Hokusai. The Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, designed by Arata Isozaki, opened in 1994 on the bank of the Vistula, facing Wawel Castle. It houses woodblock prints, ceramics, swords and kimono.
Visiting Manggha
Entry, tea and a workshop together make a sensible half-day; Convert JPY to PLN for the total before you set off.
Entry costs about 25 zloty, and there is a tea room with a Japanese garden. Exhibitions change every few months, and there are workshops in calligraphy, origami and tea ceremony for 40 to 80 zloty. Kraków itself offers many things to see, and a hotel in the old town costs 300 to 600 zloty a night. Convert JPY to PLN for the whole day and see that the figure is modest.
Japonisme in Poland
At the end of the nineteenth century, Polish artists such as Józef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański were captivated by Japanese art, as were their counterparts in France. Prints influenced Polish posters and book design. Today's Polish designers continue the dialogue.
Episode three: Japanese factories in Poland
Cars, tyres and electronics
Toyota has plants in Wałbrzych and Jelcz-Laskowice, producing engines, gearboxes and hybrid systems. Bridgestone makes tyres in Poznań, Panasonic electronics in Poland, and Japanese companies in automotive parts, chemicals and food are present in many towns. Together they employ tens of thousands of Poles. Wages in these plants are above the national average, and the training and working culture are prized.
Exchange-rate exposure
A budget for next year begins with a rate, so Convert JPY to PLN for the quarter ahead and test it at a weaker rate.
Japanese companies earn in zloty and euros from Polish and European sales, and report in yen. When the yen is weak, the profits from Poland, expressed in yen, rise. The Polish National Bank and the Bank of Japan have followed very different interest-rate paths, which influences the pair. A finance manager in a Polish plant of a Japanese firm will Convert JPY to PLN every quarter to prepare budgets.
Japanese expats in Wrocław and Warsaw
Several thousand Japanese live in Poland, mostly in Warsaw, Wrocław and the south, on postings of three to five years. A Japanese school operates in Warsaw. Housing costs 3,000 to 6,000 zloty a month for a modern flat, and schooling at the international level 3,000 to 5,000 a month. Allowances are often in yen or euros, and they handle both.
Episode four: the Japanese garden in Wrocław
A garden from 1913
Wrocław, then the German city of Breslau, built a Japanese garden for the Centennial Exhibition of 1913, designed by the Japanese gardener Mankichi Arai. It has ponds, a tea house, stone lanterns and maples. After the war it was neglected and then restored in the 1990s. It is open from spring to autumn, with entry of about 10 to 15 zloty. It is one of the best-preserved Japanese gardens in Europe.
Wrocław for visitors
For a weekend in Silesia, Convert JPY to PLN for the hotel, the train and two dinners and add a small float.
Wrocław has a medieval market square, dozens of bridges and hundreds of tiny bronze gnomes hidden around the city. A hotel in the centre costs 250 to 500 zloty, a meal 40 to 80. Trains from Warsaw take about four hours. The city is a university town and a good base for the Lower Silesia region, with castles and mountains.
Episode five: sushi, anime and ramen
Poland falls for Japan
In recent years, Poland has developed a passion for Japanese food and pop culture. Sushi restaurants have opened in every city, ramen shops in Warsaw and Kraków, and anime conventions fill halls. A set of sushi costs 40 to 90 zloty, a bowl of ramen 35 to 50. Japanese language is taught at universities in Warsaw, Kraków and Poznań, and many young Poles save to visit Japan.
Poles in Japan
A Polish friend planning a visit will Convert JPY to PLN in reverse, and you can share the figures to plan together.
Polish travellers to Japan find high costs but rewarding experiences. A trip of two weeks, with flights, costs 12,000 to 20,000 zloty per person. A Polish tourist will use the reverse page, Convert PLN to JPY, to see what their zloty buy. Many choose cheaper seasons and use rail passes.
A ten-day Polish journey for a Japanese traveller
Days one to three: Warsaw
For three days in the capital, Convert JPY to PLN for the hotel, the museums and the meals and write the total at the top.
Warsaw, reduced to rubble in 1944 and rebuilt over the following decades, is a good place to begin. The old town, reconstructed brick by brick from paintings and photographs, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Warsaw Rising Museum, the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews and the Chopin Museum are the three most moving. Tickets are 25 to 40 zloty each. A Chopin recital in Łazienki Park on summer Sundays is free. Hotels in the centre cost 350 to 700 zloty a night, dinners 80 to 150. Three days cost about 2,500 to 4,000 zloty for two. Convert JPY to PLN for this sum, and compare it with three days in Tokyo.
Days four to six: Kraków and its surroundings
A tour of the salt mine is a fixed price, so Convert JPY to PLN for it and decide whether to add a guide.
A fast train takes two and a quarter hours from Warsaw to Kraków. The old town, the cathedral and castle on Wawel Hill, the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz and the Manggha Museum fill the first two days. The third is for an excursion to the Wieliczka salt mine, where chapels are carved from salt, or to Auschwitz-Birkenau, which requires a pre-booked time slot and a sombre frame of mind. Entry to the salt mine costs about 120 zloty, and a guided tour at Auschwitz about 100 to 140. A hotel costs 300 to 600 zloty, a meal 50 to 100.
A note on solemn sites
The former concentration camps and memorials of the Second World War require respect. Dress modestly, keep silent, and follow the rules about photography. Groups of Japanese school pupils visit regularly. Plan the day so there is time for reflection afterwards, with no tight schedule.
Days seven and eight: Zakopane or Gdańsk
From Kraków, travellers choose between the mountains and the sea. Zakopane, at the foot of the Tatras, offers wooden architecture, hiking and cable cars. Gdańsk, on the Baltic coast, offers a reconstructed old town, amber and the memorial to the Solidarity movement. Either way, a night or two costs 600 to 1,200 zloty. A train to Gdańsk takes five hours and costs 100 to 190 zloty.
Days nine and ten: Wrocław and the departure
The last days can be spent in Wrocław, with its Japanese garden and gnome hunts, before flying out from Wrocław, Warsaw or Kraków. Allow a day for packing and for last-minute shopping. The airport is 20 to 30 minutes from the centre, and a train or bus costs 5 to 15 zloty.
What to buy and what to pay
Amber, vodka and linen
At the stall, Convert JPY to PLN for the amber piece and ask for a certificate when the sum is high.
Poland is famous for Baltic amber, fossilised tree resin used in jewellery. A small pendant costs 80 to 300 zloty, a necklace 300 to 1,500. Vodka, in flavours such as bison grass, costs 50 to 150 a bottle. Linen tablecloths and embroidery, wooden toys and painted ceramics from Bolesławiec, with a distinctive blue-and-white pattern, are popular souvenirs. A plate costs 40 to 120 zloty, a mug 30 to 70.
Authenticity and receipts
Amber is widely imitated with plastic or pressed pieces. Buy from reputable shops and ask for a certificate for expensive items. A test: real amber floats in salty water, while plastic sinks. Keep receipts for customs. Japan's rules allow personal purchases within limits, and alcohol is limited to three bottles.
Markets and haggling
When the seller quotes in euros, Convert JPY to PLN for the zloty price and insist on that, because the euro rate is worse.
Markets such as the Cloth Hall in Kraków's main square and the stalls near Warsaw's old town have fixed prices more often than not. Haggling is gentle and mostly confined to antiques and flea markets. Always pay in zloty. When a seller offers euros, it is almost always at a worse rate.
The Polish economy and the pair
Growth, inflation and the zloty
Poland has one of the fastest growing economies in Europe and a currency that floats against the euro. Inflation has been higher than in the euro area in some years, and the National Bank of Poland has raised and lowered rates accordingly. The zloty responds to regional risk, such as events in neighbouring Ukraine, and to flows of funds from the European Union.
What drives the yen
A manager reading the news should Convert JPY to PLN before and after a central-bank meeting to see the reaction.
The yen reflects the Bank of Japan's policy of very low interest rates, global risk appetite and trade. A wide gap between interest rates in Poland and Japan tends to weaken the yen against the zloty, a pattern known as the carry trade. When risk appetite falls, the yen strengthens. The pair can therefore move strongly in either direction within a month. Check the thirty-day line on this page before large conversions.
Managing a large payment
If the payment is for tuition or a flat, Convert JPY to PLN on three dates and keep the average in your notes.
If you have to pay a large sum, such as a deposit on a flat or tuition fees, split the conversion, note the rate of each part and compare the average with the reference rate. A saving of one per cent on a million yen is ten thousand yen, the price of a good dinner.
Money and manners for a Japanese visitor in Poland
Cards, cash and prices
Make a table of the five prices you meet most often and Convert JPY to PLN for each, so that you can judge every menu quickly.
Poland is a card-friendly country, with contactless payment widely accepted and a popular mobile system called BLIK. Cash is useful in markets. Withdraw zloty from bank cash machines and decline conversion to yen. A coffee costs 12 to 18 zloty, a lunch menu 30 to 50, a metro ticket 4 to 5, a museum ticket 15 to 40. A hotel costs 300 to 600 zloty in major cities.
Tipping and etiquette
A tip of ten per cent is common in restaurants. Greet with "dzień dobry". Polish hosts are hospitable and expect small gifts: flowers (an odd number, never thirteen) or chocolates. Remove shoes if asked, as in Japan. Politeness and a smile will carry you far.
Getting around
Trains between Warsaw, Kraków and Gdańsk are fast and inexpensive. Distances are in kilometres; for American readers, Convert km to mi. Poland is eight hours behind Japan in winter and seven in summer; the offset between central and eastern Europe can be seen with Convert CET to EET.
Related conversions
Other currencies in Central Europe
For the euro, Convert JPY to EUR; for the Czech crown, Convert JPY to CZK; for the Hungarian forint, Convert JPY to HUF; for the Romanian leu, Convert JPY to RON.
Mistakes to avoid
Confusing the zloty with other money
The zloty is the money of Poland only. Neighbouring countries have their own currencies. Check the code PLN.
The terminal's offer
If a card machine offers to charge you in yen, say no. Pay in zloty and let your bank convert.
Old rates
A rate noted last month may be a percentage point or more away from today's. The date beside the result protects you.
Kraków at dusk
The page downloads only the table of daily reference rates. The amount you type never leaves your device, and no account is needed. From the rescued orphans to the museum on the Vistula, the habit is the same: Convert JPY to PLN, read the date, compare any offer against the figure and keep a note.