godan verb (-u), transitive verb
The basic money sense: paying a bill, fee, fare, price, rent, or other amount owed.
レジで代金を払った。
I paid the price at the register.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
brush off; wipe away; clear away;
Physical removal from a surface or area: dust, snow, dirt, obstacles, or unwanted branches. 掃う is a rare spelling for this kind of sweeping or clearing sense.
コートについた雪を手で払った。
I brushed the snow off my coat with my hand.
庭木の余分な枝を払った。
I cut away the extra branches of the garden tree.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
drive away; sweep aside
Used for driving away or clearing out opponents, enemies, or people in one's way. As a simple verb this is less everyday than compounds such as 追い払う or 払いのける.
彼は群がる敵を払いながら前へ進んだ。
He advanced while driving off the enemies swarming around him.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
Limited use for getting rid of property or unneeded things, often with an old-fashioned feel; modern Japanese more often uses 売り払う, 処分する, or similar expressions.
「家財を払う」は、持ち物を処分したり売り払ったりする意味で使われる。
The phrase 家財を払う is used to mean disposing of or selling off one's belongings.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
pay attention; show respect; show concern
Common abstract collocations include 注意を払う, 敬意を払う, 配慮を払う, and 関心を払う.
相手の意見にも十分な注意を払うべきだ。
You should pay sufficient attention to the other person's opinion too.
私たちは先人の努力に敬意を払っている。
We show respect for the efforts of those who came before us.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
make an effort; make a sacrifice; expend
Used when something valuable, such as effort, cost, time, or sacrifice, is spent or given up for a purpose. Common in fixed-feeling collocations like 努力を払う and 犠牲を払う.
彼らは多くの犠牲を払って自由を手に入れた。
They gained freedom at the cost of many sacrifices.
問題の解決に多大な努力を払った。
They made great efforts to solve the problem.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
vacate; move out of
Used with places such as 宿, 下宿, or 部屋 to mean leaving or giving up the lodging. It is somewhat old-fashioned or limited compared with modern expressions like 引き払う or 退去する.
卒業を機に下宿を払った。
On graduating, I moved out of my lodgings.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
sweep; knock aside
A physical sweeping motion that knocks something aside, especially in expressions such as 足を払う, 'to sweep someone's legs out from under them.'
相手の足を払って倒した。
He swept his opponent's legs and knocked him down.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
make a sweeping stroke
Calligraphy and handwriting use: ending a stroke by sweeping or flicking the brush or pen outward.
最後の一画は軽く右へ払う。
Sweep the final stroke lightly to the right.
godan verb (-u), transitive verb
reset an abacus
Specific to abacus use: clearing or resetting the beads before a calculation.
計算を始める前にそろばんを払う。
Reset the abacus before starting the calculation.