Translation guide
The English verb 'spend' covers two main areas: using money and using time. Japanese uses different verbs for these, and also has specific expressions for spending time meaningfully or wastefully.
To pay out money for goods, services, or expenses.
General verb for using or spending money. Transitive. The object takes を.
I spend 50,000 yen on food every month.
More formal/literary verb for spending money, often implying consumption or expenditure of a large amount. Transitive.
Formal term for expenditure, used in accounting or official contexts.
To use or pass time in a certain way or place.
General verb for spending time, often with a focus on how or where the time is passed. Transitive. Time expression takes .
To spend time in a fulfilling, enjoyable, or worthwhile way.
To spend fulfilling/meaningful time. A very common positive expression.
To waste time or spend it unproductively.
To spend time wastefully. 無駄に is an adverb modifying 過ごす.
過ごす focuses on how or where time is passed (quality of time), while 時間を使う simply means using time as a resource. 過ごす is more common for describing experiences.
How did you spend yesterday?
How much did you spend?
無駄遣いをしないで、お金を大切に使ってください。
Don't waste money; spend it wisely.
彼は車に大金を費やした。
He spent a fortune on a car.
The company spent a large amount of money on R&D.
I spent the weekend relaxing with my family.
I plan to spend summer vacation abroad.
Used for spending time, often with a nuance of devoting or expending time on something, sometimes with a sense of sacrifice. Transitive.
He spent a lot of time solving that problem.
Literally 'use time'. Common and natural, similar to 'spend time' in many contexts.
You should spend more time studying.
To spend time on something, emphasizing the investment or effort. Often used when time is needed to achieve a result.
This dish takes time to make (we spend time making it).
Colloquial verb for 'killing time' or spending time idly. Often used with 時間 (time) or 暇 (free time).
I killed time at a café.
I spent a fulfilling time while studying abroad.
To have a good time, spend enjoyable time.
I spent a fun time with friends.
I ended up spending the holiday wastefully.
Primarily means 'waste money', but can be used metaphorically for wasting time (時間の無駄遣い).
Don't waste your time on such things.
I spent time studying yesterday.
To say 'spend the night' (stay overnight), use 泊まる (とまる) or 一晩過ごす (ひとばんすごす), not 夜を使う.
I spent the night at a friend's house.
I spent three hours on my homework.
Using かかる (take time) is natural here, rather than directly translating 'spend'.
Spend your time wisely.