How to say "free" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 無料むりょうno-adjectiveThe word for 'free' meaning costing nothing: goods, services, or admission provided without charge, as in free samples or free admission. It has nothing to do with liberty or restraint.
- na-adjective, nounCovers 'free' meaning not under restraint or control rather than costing nothing. Use it of a person or thing free of restrictions or outside control; for 'free of charge' say 無料.
- 放すはなすgodan verb, transitive verbThe verb sense: to release, let go, or set free something held or confined, such as freeing a captured animal. Use it where English 'free' is an action rather than a state.
- 自由自在じゆうじざいna-adjectiveA four-character idiom for 'free' meaning able to act or move entirely at will, with complete mastery or control of what one is doing. It describes unrestricted freedom, not absence of charge.
- 随意ずいいna-adjective, nounCovers 'free' as in voluntary or optional: something left to each person's own choice, such as voluntary participation or an elective course. It is about acting by choice, not about cost or restraint.
Choose 無料 for 'free of charge', 「フリー」 for freedom from restraint or control, 「放す」 when 'free' is a verb meaning to release, 自由自在 for acting at will with complete mastery, and 随意 for voluntary or optional.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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