Used for monetary charges, fees, or prices. Often appears as a suffix on specific nouns (e.g., 電気代, 食事代).
I forgot to pay the electricity bill.
This month's electricity bill was high.
The meal charge is 3000 yen per person.
generation; age; school year; cohort; reign
Refers to a generation of people, a school year cohort, or a historical reign. Often used as a suffix (e.g., 20代, 昭和代).
He started his business in his twenties.
I'm of the generation born in the Heisei era.
Geological era. Technical term used in geology.
The Mesozoic Era is the age of dinosaurs.
representative of; on behalf of; for (someone)
Used after a person's name or title to mean 'on behalf of' or 'representing'. Common in formal contexts.
I attended the meeting on behalf of the president.
Used after a phone number to indicate a main switchboard number. Often seen in business contact information.
See also: 代表電話番号
For inquiries, call 03-1234-5678 (main switchboard).
counter for decades, eras, generations
Counter used for decades of age (e.g., 20代), historical eras, or generations of rulers. Covers both decades and generational succession.
It's a brand popular with women in their thirties.
Who was the second president?
proxy application company (abbr.)
Abbreviation of 代理申請会社. Rare standalone use; mainly seen in business contexts.
See also: 代理申請会社
I had a proxy application company submit these documents.
pronoun (abbr., dictionary use)
Abbreviation of 代名詞, used in dictionaries and linguistic contexts. Not used in everyday speech.
See also: 代名詞
In dictionaries, it is sometimes abbreviated as 代.
He is a company employee in his thirties.
This shop was started in my grandfather's generation.
料 attaches to nouns to mean a formal fee or charge (入場料), while 代 covers everyday costs and charges, often for consumables or usage (電気代).
世代 is the standard word for a generation of people in a social or familial sense, while 代 is a broader suffix that can also mark eras, reigns, or decades of age.
費 denotes an expense or cost category, especially in accounting or budgeting contexts (交通費), whereas 代 is a more casual term for a specific charge (タクシー代).
値段 refers to the price of a physical good you buy, while 代 usually refers to a fee for a service or usage (食事代, 電話代).
代 is the everyday suffix for a decade of age (40代), while 路 (as in 四十路) is a more literary, old-fashioned alternative.
代 is a broader counter for generations, eras, or periods, while 代目 specifically counts the ordinal holder of a position or title, such as a kabuki actor or company president.
代 (だい) means charge, generation, or era, while 台 (だい) is an unrelated homophone meaning a stand, platform, or counter for machines/vehicles.
代 read だい is the common reading, used in everyday words like 時代 and 代金, while the same kanji read as 代 (しろ) is a narrower, older term for substitute, material, or price mostly confined to set compounds.
代 and 費 are both cost-suffixes, but 代 usually names the price paid for one specific item or service (食事代), while 費 covers broader or ongoing expenses (食費, 生活費).
代 names larger geological eras (like 中生代), while 紀 names the smaller periods within an era (like ジュラ紀), so learners often mix up which scale each covers.
period; epoch; era; age · the times; those days · oldness; antiquity · antique; period piece
representative; delegate; representation · typical example; exemplar; model · leader; head · main number; switchboard number
present age; present day; today · modern era; modern times
generation
period; era; decade; date · age group; generation; age range
The kanji 代 originally meant 'to replace' or 'substitute', and by extension came to mean 'generation', 'era', and 'charge' (as something given in exchange). The reading だい is the on'yomi.
substitution; replacement · alternative; substitute
successive generations; historical records of successive reigns
price; charge; payment
representative; proxy; agent
compensation; reparation; indemnification · price; cost; sacrifice · paying compensation on someone's behalf · biological compensation; compensatory response · psychological compensation; substitution
substitution; using as a substitute
pinch-hitting; pinch hitter · substitute; proxy; stand-in
for generations; from generation to generation; through the ages
pronoun · synonym; classic example; byword
previous head of a family; previous generation (of a family); one's (late) father · predecessor · previous age; previous generation (era)
substitute; stand-in; understudy; double
speak for; act as spokesperson for; represent someone's views or feelings · pay on someone's behalf; payment by proxy; compensation by proxy · act on someone's behalf; carry something out for someone
same generation; same age group; coeval
parliamentarian; member of a congress; Diet member
algebra · number of generations
representative; delegate
the next era; the coming age; the next generation
substitution · assignment
writing on someone's behalf; ghostwriting; amanuensis
pinch runner; substitute runner · substitute; stand-in
alternative plan; counterproposal