Translation and Meaning of: 費 - hi

The Japanese word 「費」 (hi) is an ideogram that carries the meaning of "to spend" or "expense." This kanji significantly expands in economic and social contexts, representing related to costs and expenses in financial structures. In more everyday contexts, it can be observed in compound words referring to expenses of various natures, such as 「交通費」 (koutsuuhi), which means "transportation expenses."

Etymologically, the kanji 「費」 is composed of two radicals. The radical 「貝」 (kai), which means "shell" and is associated with money and trade, combined with the radical 「弗」 that symbolizes "not" or "negative." The composition of these two elements suggests the idea of loss or expenditure of goods, directly contributing to the meaning of the kanji. This construction reflects a historical notion in which shells were used as currency in various ancient Asian cultures.

Comumente encontrada em contextos financeiros, a palavra 「費」 é uma parte integrante de muitos termos japoneses que descrevem tipos específicos de despesas, evidenciando sua importância no uso moderno. Exemplos incluem:

  • 「生活費」 (seikatsuhi), "custo de vida";
  • 「学費」 (gakuhi), "despesas escolares";
  • 「医療費」 (iryohi), "despesas médicas".
Essas variações mostram como a base de 「費」 atua para formar palavras mais complexas que descrevem tipos distintos de custos, essenciais para a comunicação do dia a dia.

In contemporary society, the use of 「費」 transcends written language, as awareness of expense management becomes crucial in both personal and business contexts. The term helps to outline budgets and better plan expenditures in a modern economy, marking its ongoing relevance in language and culture. Furthermore, due to its presence in compound words, understanding its individual meaning can enrich the vocabulary and comprehension of any Japanese language learner.

Vocabulary

Expand your vocabulary with related words:

Synonyms and similar words

  • 費用 (Hiyou) - General costs or expenses, referring to the total amount spent in a specific context.
  • 経費 (Keihi) - Operational expenses or costs related to business or professional activities.
  • 負担 (Futan) - Charge or financial burden that a person or organization must bear.
  • 出費 (Shuppi) - Expenses or costs that are specifically disbursed, often in a specific context.
  • 代価 (Daika) - Cost or price of something, often in exchange for a specific good or service.

Related words

浪費

rouhi

waste; extravagance

費用

hiyou

cost; expense

費やす

tsuiyasu

to spend; to dedicate; to waste

実費

jipi

real expense; cost price

消費

shouhi

consumption; spent

出費

shupi

expenses; disbursements

光熱費

kounetsuhi

cost of fuel and electricity

経費

keihi

expenses; cost; spent

維持

iji

maintenance; preservation

atai

value; price; cost; value; merit

Romaji: hi
Kana:
Type: noun
L: jlpt-n1

Translation / Meaning: cost; expense

Meaning in English: cost;expense

Definition: to pay money.

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How to Write in Japanese - (費) hi

See below a step-by-step guide on how to write the word by hand in Japanese. (費) hi:

Example Sentences - (費) hi

See below some example sentences:

食費を減らすことができました。

Shokuhi wo herasu koto ga dekimashita

We managed to reduce our spending on food.

I was able to reduce food expenses.

  • 食費 (shokuhi) - food expenses
  • を (wo) - direct object particle
  • 減らす (herasu) - reduce
  • こと (koto) - abstract noun indicating action or event
  • が (ga) - subject particle
  • できました (dekimashita) - The past form of the verb "dekiru" which means "to be able to"
過剰な消費は地球環境に悪影響を与える。

Kajō na shōhi wa chikyū kankyō ni aku eikyō o ataeru

Excess consumption has a negative impact on the Earth's environment.

Excess consumption has a negative effect on the global environment.

  • 過剰な消費 - excess consumption
  • は - Article indicating the subject/topic of the sentence
  • 地球環境 - global environment
  • に - partícula que indica o objeto indireto da frase
  • 悪影響 - negative impact
  • を - article indicating the direct object of the sentence
  • 与える - dar, causar
軽減税率は消費者にとって大きなメリットです。

Keigen zeiritsu wa shōhisha ni totte ōkina meritto desu

A reduced tax rate is a great benefit for consumers.

The reduction tax rate is a great advantage for consumers.

  • 軽減税率 - reduction of the tax rate
  • は - Topic particle
  • 消費者 - Consumer
  • にとって - for
  • 大きな - large
  • メリット - benefício
  • です - Verb to be/estar in the present
私たちは多くの時間を費やしてこのプロジェクトを完成させました。

Watashitachi wa ōku no jikan o tsuiyashte kono purojekuto o kansei sasemashita

We spent a lot of time and completed this project.

We spent a lot of time and completed this project.

  • 私たちは (watashitachi wa) - We
  • 多くの (ooku no) - Many
  • 時間を (jikan o) - Time
  • 費やして (tsuiyashite) - Expense
  • この (kono) - This one
  • プロジェクトを (purojekuto o) - project
  • 完成させました (kansei sasemashita) - We concluded
広告は消費者に製品やサービスを知らせるために重要です。

Koukoku wa shouhisha ni seihin ya saabisu wo shiraseru tame ni juuyou desu

Advertising is important to inform consumers about products and services.

Advertising is important to inform consumers about products and services.

  • 広告 (koukoku) - Advertising
  • は (wa) - Topic particle
  • 消費者 (shouhisha) - consumers
  • に (ni) - target particle
  • 製品 (seihin) - Products
  • や (ya) - enumeration particle
  • サービス (saabisu) - services
  • を (wo) - direct object particle
  • 知らせる (shiraseru) - inform
  • ために (tameni) - for
  • 重要 (juuyou) - important
  • です (desu) - verb to be
光熱費が高くて困っています。

Kounetsuhi ga takakute komatteimasu

I am concerned about the high cost of energy.

I'm having trouble because the utility bill is high.

  • 光熱費 - expenses with electricity and heating
  • が - subject particle
  • 高くて - high and
  • 困っています - I am worried
消費税が上がった。

Shouhizei ga agatta

The consumption tax increased.

The consumption tax increased.

  • 消費税 - Consumption tax
  • が - Subject particle
  • 上がった - Subiu
費用が高いです。

Hiyou ga takai desu

The cost is high.

  • 費用 - It means "cost" in Japanese.
  • が - is a grammatical particle that indicates the subject of the sentence.
  • 高い - It means "tall" or "expensive" in Japanese.
  • です - It is a polite way of saying "is" or "are" in Japanese.
送料は商品の配送費用です。

Souryou wa shouhin no haisou hiyou desu

Freight is the cost of shipping the product.

The shipping fee is the cost of delivery of the product.

  • 送料 - It means "shipping cost" in Japanese.
  • は - It is a Japanese grammatical particle that indicates the topic of the sentence, in this case, "shipping cost".
  • 商品 - It means "product" in Japanese.
  • の - It is a Japanese grammatical particle that indicates possession or relationship between two words, in this case, "product" and "shipping cost".
  • 配送 - It means "delivery" in Japanese.
  • 費用 - It means "cost" in Japanese.
  • です - It is a polite way to say "is" in Japanese.

Other Words of this Type: noun

See other words from our dictionary that are also: noun

費