Meaning
費 means expense, cost, or expenditure — and by extension, to spend or consume money, time, or energy. You'll meet it constantly in daily life: on receipts, utility bills, tax forms, and workplace expense reports.
The kanji is built from two parts. The upper component 弗 historically suggested something scattered or dispersed. Below it sits 貝 (kai), the shell/money radical — cowrie shells once served as currency in ancient China and Japan. That is why 貝 shows up in kanji like 買 (buy), 財 (wealth), and 貯 (save). Put them together: money (貝) being scattered (弗) — exactly what spending looks like.
Taught in Grade 4 and listed at JLPT N3, 費 has 12 strokes and belongs to the 貝 radical group.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is ヒ (hi). Nearly every compound reads 費 this way — when it appears at the end of a word, it almost always signals some kind of cost or expense. Recognizing this pattern alone unlocks a large slice of financial vocabulary.
- 費用 (hiyou) — expenses, costs (the most general term)
- 経費 (keihi) — operating expenses, business costs
- 消費 (shouhi) — consumption (goods, energy, resources)
- 旅費 (ryohi) — travel expenses
- 学費 (gakuhi) — tuition fees, school expenses
- 食費 (shokuhi) — food expenses, grocery costs
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
Two kun'yomi verb forms exist. 費やす (ついやす) is transitive — to spend or devote time, money, or effort toward something. 費える (ついえる) is intransitive — resources being consumed or wasted on their own. Both appear more in writing than casual speech, though 費やす turns up regularly in business and formal contexts.
- 費やす (tsuiyasu) — to spend, to use up, to devote (transitive)
- 費える (tsuieru) — to be consumed, to be wasted (intransitive)
- 時間を費やす (jikan wo tsuiyasu) — to spend time on something
Common Words & Compounds
費 combines with other kanji to cover nearly every type of expenditure. Below are the most useful compounds, grouped by theme.
General Expenses
- 費用 (hiyou) — expenses, costs; the broadest everyday term
- 経費 (keihi) — operating expenses; standard in business and accounting
- 出費 (shuppi) — expenditure, outlay; money going out
Specific Expense Categories
- 生活費 (seikatsuhi) — living expenses, cost of living
- 食費 (shokuhi) — food expenses, grocery budget
- 光熱費 (kounetsuhi) — utility bills (electricity, gas, water)
- 医療費 (iryouhi) — medical expenses, healthcare costs
- 交通費 (koutsuuhi) — transportation costs, commuting expenses
- 旅費 (ryohi) — travel expenses
- 学費 (gakuhi) — tuition, school fees
Consumption & Economy
- 消費 (shouhi) — consumption (economic or physical)
- 消費税 (shouhizei) — consumption tax, VAT (10% in Japan since 2019)
- 消費者 (shouhisha) — consumer
Example Sentences
この旅行の旅費はいくらですか？
Kono ryokou no ryohi wa ikura desu ka?
How much are the travel expenses for this trip?
生活費を節約するために、外食を減らしました。
Seikatsuhi wo setsuyaku suru tame ni, gaishoku wo herashimashita.
To cut living expenses, I started eating out less.
消費税は現在10パーセントです。
Shouhizei wa genzai juu paasento desu.
The consumption tax is currently 10 percent.
医療費が高くて、困っています。
Iryouhi ga takakute, komatteimasu.
Medical costs are high and it's becoming a real problem.
このプロジェクトに多くの時間を費やしました。
Kono purojekuto ni ooku no jikan wo tsuiyashimashita.
I poured a lot of time into this project.
交通費は会社が払ってくれます。
Koutsuuhi wa kaisha ga haratte kuremasu.
My company covers the commuting costs.
光熱費を下げるために、節電を心がけています。
Kounetsuhi wo sageru tame ni, setsuden wo kokorogaketeimasu.
I've been watching my electricity use to bring utility bills down.
大学の学費はとても高いです。
Daigaku no gakuhi wa totemo takai desu.
University tuition is extremely expensive.
無駄遣いをやめて、費用を抑えましょう。
Mudazukai wo yamete, hiyou wo osaemashoo.
Cut out the wasteful spending and get costs under control.
Memory Tip
Picture 貝 (coins) tossed into the air, flying in every direction — that scrambled chaos on top is 弗. Money scattered and gone. That image is 費. The verb 費やす (tsuiyasu) fits the same picture: time or effort dispersed, no longer yours. Once you spot 費 inside 生活費 or 消費税, the shape will start to feel obvious.