Meaning
The kanji 貨 covers the core meanings of goods, cargo, freight, and currency. It appears in any context involving things that are bought, sold, shipped, or used as money — from the coins in your pocket to containers on a cargo ship.
Structurally, 貨 combines two components: 化 (か, "to change/transform") over 貝 (かい, "shell/money"). In ancient China, cowrie shells served as currency. That pairing of "shell" and "transform" captures the idea of goods and money changing hands through trade.
This kanji has 11 strokes and is taught in Grade 4 of Japanese elementary school — most children encounter it around age 9–10. At N2, recognition alone is not enough. You are expected to use 貨 comfortably across vocabulary spanning economics, trade, transportation, and shopping. The radical 貝 (shell) underpins many other money-related kanji: 財 (wealth), 買 (buy), 賃 (rent), and 貿 (trade).
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
貨 has one on'yomi: カ (ka). It appears consistently across every compound — there is only one sound to learn. The reading traces back to Middle Chinese and carried over unchanged into modern Japanese.
- 貨物 (kamotsu) — freight, cargo (literally "goods + thing")
- 通貨 (tsūka) — currency (literally "circulating goods")
- 硬貨 (kōka) — coin (literally "hard currency")
- 百貨店 (hyakkaten) — department store (literally "hundred-goods shop")
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
貨 has no kun'yomi. Kanji borrowed primarily for trade or bureaucratic use often skipped native Japanese pronunciation entirely — the word arrived with its Chinese reading already attached. Every instance of 貨 in a compound reads カ (ka).
Common Words & Compounds
Compounds with 貨 span trade, transportation, and finance. Below are the most useful ones, grouped by theme:
Cargo & Transportation
- 貨物 (kamotsu) — cargo, freight, goods
- 貨車 (kasha) — freight car, cargo railcar
- 貨物船 (kamotsusen) — cargo ship, freighter
- 貨物列車 (kamotsu ressha) — freight train
Currency & Coins
- 通貨 (tsūka) — currency (in circulation)
- 硬貨 (kōka) — coin (as opposed to paper money)
- 金貨 (kinka) — gold coin
- 銀貨 (ginka) — silver coin
- 銅貨 (dōka) — copper coin
- 貨幣 (kahei) — currency, coinage (formal/economic term)
Foreign & International Trade
- 外貨 (gaika) — foreign currency
- 外貨準備 (gaika junbi) — foreign exchange reserves
General Commerce
- 雑貨 (zakka) — miscellaneous goods, sundries, general merchandise
- 百貨店 (hyakkaten) — department store
- 財貨 (zaika) — goods and wealth, material assets
Example Sentences
この船は貨物を運ぶための貨物船です。
Kono fune wa kamotsu wo hakobu tame no kamotsusen desu.
This ship is a cargo vessel for transporting freight.
財布の中に硬貨が何枚か入っていた。
Saifu no naka ni kōka ga nanmai ka haitte ita.
There were several coins inside the wallet.
日本の通貨は円です。
Nihon no tsūka wa en desu.
Japan's currency is the yen.
海外旅行のために外貨を両替した。
Kaigai ryokō no tame ni gaika wo ryōgae shita.
I exchanged foreign currency for my trip abroad.
百貨店では食品から衣類まで何でも買えます。
Hyakkaten de wa shokuhin kara irui made nandemo kaemasu.
At a department store, you can buy everything from food to clothing.
貨幣の歴史は非常に古い。
Kahei no rekishi wa hijō ni furui.
The history of currency is extremely old.
貨車が線路の上をゆっくりと進んでいた。
Kasha ga senro no ue wo yukkuri to susunde ita.
The freight car was slowly moving along the tracks.
円高になると外貨を持っている人が有利になる。
Endaka ni naru to gaika wo motte iru hito ga yūri ni naru.
When the yen strengthens, people holding foreign currency benefit.
あの雑貨屋にはかわいい輸入雑貨がたくさん並んでいる。
Ano zakkaya ni wa kawaii yunyū zakka ga takusan narande iru.
That general goods store has lots of cute imported items lined up.
Memory Tip
Picture a merchant holding up a cowrie shell (貝) and declaring, "This shell transforms (化) into anything — money, goods, cargo." Each major compound reinforces the idea: freight on ships (貨物), coins in a pocket (硬貨), currency in circulation (通貨). Shell + Transform = everything that gets bought, sold, or shipped.