How to say "cost" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 価格かかくnounThe price of goods or services as an objective figure — what something sells for. It fits commercial and economic contexts, where 'cost' is really price.
- 費ひnoun (suffix)On its own this is seldom the word you want for 'cost'; it really appears as part of compound nouns for particular kinds of expense. For a standalone word, use 費用.
- nounThe loanword, at home in business and economic talk: cost as the money a company must spend to make or run something, as opposed to the price charged.
- 費用ひようnounThe general word for money spent or needed for something: the cost of a trip, repairs, or a project. It covers expenses as a whole rather than the price of a single item.
- 値段ねだんnounThe price of a particular item — what you pay for it at the shop. When 'cost' means how much something sells for, this is the word.
Use 値段 for the price of an item, 価格 for price in commercial or economic terms, 費用 for money spent on an activity, 「コスト」 in business talk about costs, and 費 chiefly within compound nouns.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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