Polite everyday word for paper money, commonly used in spoken and written Japanese. The honorific prefix お makes it sound natural and respectful.
I paid for the taxi fare with bills.
There isn't a single bill in my wallet.
Could you break this bill for me?
I got the convenience store to break my ten-thousand-yen bill.
There were three thousand-yen bills in my wallet.
The bank teller counted the bills with practiced hands.
硬貨 refers to coins, the metal counterpart to the paper money called お札.
お札 is the polite, softer way of saying 札 that is common in everyday spoken Japanese, especially when talking to others.
札 (ふだ) means a tag, card, or plate and is unrelated to money, unlike お札 (おさつ), which means banknote; the same kanji but different reading and meaning often trips up learners.
counter for thin, flat objects; sheet; plate; coin · serving of soba; portion of gyōza · sumo rank position; wrestler at a given rank · field; rice paddy plot · palanquin bearer
Standard polite spelling for paper money; the honorific prefix お is written with the kanji 札.
Polite form of 札 (さつ, 'bill, paper money') with the honorific prefix お. The reading さつ is a Sino-Japanese reading of 札.