费 meaning and stroke order
To cost; to spend; fee
How to write 费, stroke by stroke
9 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 费
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to cost
- to spend
- fee
- wasteful
- expenses
How 费 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Money.
贝 gives the meaning and 弗 hints at the sound.
Radical: 贝 (sea shell), shared by 63 characters on this site.
How to remember 费
费 is pictophonetic. The bottom part 贝 (bèi, shell) was ancient money, so it gives the meaning of spending. The top part 弗 (fú) gives a similar sound. Picture money flowing out from under 弗 every time you pay a fee.
费 appears most often in words about money, like 费用 (fèiyong, cost), 学费 (xuéfèi, tuition) and 免费 (miǎnfèi, free of charge). As a verb it means to use up time, effort or money. Example: 这个很费时间。(Zhège hěn fèi shíjiān.) This takes a lot of time.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 费 (fèi) with 贵 (guì, expensive), since both have 贝 at the bottom. 费 has 弗 on top and means a cost or to spend, while 贵 describes something as pricey.
Common words with 费
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 浪费 | làngfèi | to waste; to squander | HSK 3 |
| 费用 | fèiyong | cost; expenditure | HSK 3 |
| 学费 | xuéfèi | tuition fee; tuition | HSK 3 |
| 收费 | shōufèi | to charge a fee | HSK 3 |
| 消费 | xiāofèi | to consume (goods and services, resources etc) | HSK 3 |
| 交费 | jiāofèi | to pay a fee | HSK 3 |
| 免费 | miǎnfèi | free (of charge) | HSK 4 |
| 经费 | jīngfèi | funds; expenditure | HSK 5 |
| 消费者 | xiāofèizhě | consumer | HSK 5 |
| 花费 | huāfèi | expense; cost | HSK 6 |
| 小费 | xiǎofèi | tip; gratuity | HSK 6 |
| 生活费 | shēnghuófèi | cost of living; living expenses | HSK 6 |
| 手续费 | shǒuxùfèi | service charge; processing fee | HSK 6 |
| 付费 | fùfèi | to pay; to cover the costs | HSK 7-9 |
费 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 费
How many strokes are in 费?
费 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 费 mean?
费 (fèi) means to cost; to spend; fee. A common word with it is 浪费 (làngfèi), meaning "to waste; to squander".
How do you pronounce 费?
费 is pronounced fèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 费?
The radical of 费 is 贝, which carries the idea of "sea shell". Dictionaries list 费 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 费?
The traditional form of 费 is 費. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 费 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 费 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 费 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
How do you say something is free in Chinese using 费?
Use 免费 (miǎnfèi), literally 'exempt from fee'. For example, 门票免费 (ménpiào miǎnfèi) means admission is free.
What is the difference between 浪费 and 消费?
浪费 (làngfèi) means to waste and is negative, as in 别浪费水 (bié làngfèi shuǐ), don't waste water. 消费 (xiāofèi) is neutral and means to consume or spend as a customer.