費 meaning and stroke order
Expenses, fees; to cost, to spend; wasteful
How to write 費, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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- 12
Meaning of 費
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to cost
- to spend
- fee
- wasteful
- expenses
How 費 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
貝 gives the meaning and 弗 hints at the sound.
Radical: 貝 (sea shell), shared by 62 characters on this site.
How to remember 費
費 is built from 弗 (fú) on top, which gives the sound, and 貝 (bèi, shell) below, which stands for money. Picture money shells sliding out from under 弗 as you spend them.
費 (fèi) appears mostly in compound words about costs and spending, such as 费用 (fèiyòng, cost), 学费 (xuéfèi, tuition) and 免费 (miǎnfèi, free of charge). It can also be a verb meaning "to use up": 这件事很费时间。(Zhè jiàn shì hěn fèi shíjiān.) This takes a lot of time.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 費 with 贵 (guì, expensive), since both sit on top of 貝 and relate to money. Remember that 費 is the cost or fee itself, while 贵 describes something as pricey.
Common words with 費
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 浪費 | làngfèi | to waste; to squander | HSK 3 |
| 費用 | fèiyong | cost; expenditure | HSK 3 |
| 學費 | xuéfèi | tuition fee; tuition | HSK 3 |
| 收費 | shōufèi | to charge a fee | HSK 3 |
| 消費 | xiāofèi | to consume (goods and services, resources etc) | HSK 3 |
| 交費 | jiāofèi | to pay a fee | HSK 3 |
| 免費 | miǎnfèi | free (of charge) | HSK 4 |
| 經費 | jīngfèi | funds; expenditure | HSK 5 |
| 消費者 | xiāofèizhě | consumer | HSK 5 |
| 花費 | huāfèi | expense; cost | HSK 6 |
| 小費 | xiǎofèi | tip; gratuity | HSK 6 |
| 生活費 | shēnghuófèi | cost of living; living expenses | HSK 6 |
| 手續費 | shǒuxùfèi | service charge; processing fee | HSK 6 |
| 付費 | fùfèi | to pay; to cover the costs | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 費
How many strokes are in 費?
費 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 費 mean?
費 (fèi) means expenses, fees; to cost, to spend; wasteful. A common word with it is 浪费 (làngfèi), meaning "to waste; to squander".
How do you pronounce 費?
費 is pronounced fèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 費?
The radical of 費 is 貝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 費 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 費?
費 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 费, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do I say "free" in Chinese using 费?
Use 免费 (miǎnfèi), literally "exempt from fee." For example, 这个是免费的 (zhège shì miǎnfèi de) means "this is free."
What is the difference between 浪费 and 消费?
浪费 (làngfèi) means to waste something, like 浪费钱 (làngfèi qián, waste money). 消费 (xiāofèi) is neutral and means to consume or spend as a consumer, as in 消费者 (xiāofèizhě, consumer).