浪費
rōhi[ɾo̞ːçi]
The Japanese word for waste is 浪費 (rōhi).
浪費 is used to describe the act of squandering or being extravagant with resources such as time, money or energy.
Meaning: useless by-products, garbage (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 浪費 consists of characters that literally imply a flowing away or squandering of resources, combining the concepts of 'wave/flow' and 'spend/consume'.
Which one should you use?
While 浪費 refers to the act of spending or consuming resources excessively, it is not used to describe physical garbage or trash. For physical waste, you should use words like ごみ or 廃棄物. Additionally, 浪費 focuses on the consumption of resources, whereas the related term 無駄 focuses more on the lack of utility or the fact that an action was pointless.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use 浪費 as a verb meaning 'to waste', you must add the verb する to the noun to form 浪費する.
How do you pronounce it?
rōhi
Did you know?
- The word もったいない became globally famous when it was adopted by the United Nations Environment Programme as a slogan for sustainable consumption.
- In Japan, the concept of 無駄 (wastefulness) is countered by the philosophy of もったいない, a word expressing regret when something is wasted and a desire to respect the essence of an object.
- Japanese has a specific category of waste called 粗大ごみ for 'oversized trash', which requires a special paid sticker to be collected, unlike standard waste.
Examples in context
- 無意味なことに人生を浪費するな。Don't waste your life on meaningless things.This sentence demonstrates how to use 浪費 with life.Tatoeba #4717929 by riumutu, translation #4764888 by Stalwartlover
- 読書は時間の浪費だと考える人もいる。Some people think of reading as a waste of time.This sentence shows how to use 浪費 in the context of time.Tatoeba #123376 by KK_kaku_, translation #280622 by CK
- これ以上待つのは、それこそ時間の浪費だ。It's an absolute waste of time to wait any longer.This sentence provides an example of using 浪費 to emphasize a waste of time.Tatoeba #217574 by KK_kaku_, translation #54884 by CK
- 彼の努力は無駄に終わった。His efforts were in vain.
- 彼はお金を浪費する傾向がある。He has a tendency to waste money.
- お金をむだにしないで節約しましょう。Let's save money without wasting it.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are discussing their monthly spending habits.
- 蓮 Ren今月は買いすぎたな。完全な浪費だったよ。Kongetsu wa kaisugita na. Kanzen na rōhi datta yo.I bought too much this month. It was a complete waste.
- 結衣 Yuiまあ、たまにはいいじゃない。Maa, tama ni wa ii janai.Well, it's fine once in a while.
- 蓮 Renでも、この服は一度も着ていないし。Demo, kono fuku wa ichido mo kite inai shi.But I haven't even worn these clothes once.
- 結衣 Yuiそれは確かに、お金の浪費ね。Sore wa tashika ni, okane no rōhi ne.That certainly is a waste of money.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 浪費, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
