お金を使う
okane o tsukau
To spend money in Japanese is お金を使う (okane o tsukau).
The phrase is used to describe the act of paying money to buy goods or services.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of okane (money), the particle o (direct object marker) and tsukau (to use or spend).
Which one should you use?
While okane o tsukau is a general term for spending, okane o kakeru is used when you want to imply spending money specifically to invest in or devote resources to a particular project, hobby or person.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the past tense, such as 'spent money', you change the verb to its polite past form お金を使いました. To express the desire to spend money, you attach tai to the verb stem tsukai to get お金を使いたい.
How do you pronounce it?
okane o tsukau
Did you know?
- If you are spending money to achieve a specific goal or for a person's benefit, you might use お金をかける (okane o kakeru). This uses the verb 'to hang' or 'to invest', implying that the money is being applied toward a particular end.
- The word for money, お金 (okane), includes the honorific prefix お (o). This adds a level of politeness or respect to the noun, a common feature in Japanese when referring to things that are valued.
- The concept of 'spending money' is often colloquially linked to the phrase 散財する (sanzai suru), which means to squander or spend money extravagantly. This is a much more loaded and critical way to describe the act than the neutral お金を使う.
Examples in context
- 1000円を使いましたI spent 1000 yen.
- 使っちゃったI ended up spending (money).
- 旅行のためにたくさんお金を使う。Ryokō no tame ni takusan okane o tsukau.I spend a lot of money for traveling.
- 新しいパソコンにお金を使うつもりです。Atarashii pasokon ni okane o tsukau tsumori desu.I intend to spend money on a new computer.
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are looking at a fancy store window.
- 美咲 Misakiこのバッグ、本当に素敵ですね。Kono baggu, hontō ni suteki desu ne.This bag is really lovely, isn't it?
- 健太 Kentaでも、ここでたくさんお金を使うのは無理だよ。Demo, koko de takusan okane o tsukau no wa muri da yo.But spending a lot of money here is impossible.
- 美咲 Misakiそうですね。今は我慢しましょう。Sō desu ne. Ima wa gaman shimashō.You're right. Let's hold back for now.
- 健太 Kentaそれがいいと思うよ、美咲。Sore ga ii to omou yo, Misaki.I think that's for the best, Misaki.
