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What's the difference between 信じる, 信用する and 信頼する ? How can I know which one to use? According to my dictionary they all mean "to trust". Are they interchangeable?

For example,

I trust you.

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Off the top of my head I would summarize the differences as follows.

  • 信じる is to believe a single fact or statement (or, by extension, believe that something exists or is true)
  • 信用する is to have faith in a source of information
  • 信頼する is to trust a person (or institution)

So, for example

田中さんを信じる。
I believe what Mr. Tanaka said.

田中さんを信用できる。
I can ["always"] believe what Mr. Tanaka says.

田中さんを信頼する。
I trust Mr. Tanaka [to always do the right thing].

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    Another way to interpret the last statement, 信頼 also carries the nuance of reliance. I can trust (rely/count on) Mr. Tanaka. This comes from the second kanji in the compound: 頼{たよ}る, 頼{たの}もしい
    – user224579
    May 13, 2015 at 17:22
  • 「彼女を信用できる」じゃなくて、「彼女が信用できる」です。
    – Dmytro
    Oct 31, 2021 at 8:06
  • ^ ＠Dmytro, 「彼女を信用できる」「彼女が信用できる」... どちらもOKです。Both sound fine. 　japanese.stackexchange.com/q/609/9831
    – Chocolate ♦
    Nov 2, 2021 at 4:20
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I understand that 信用 implies trustworthiness based on the past, whereas 信頼 implies confidence or reliance on some person/thing for the future.

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