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硬貨 (こうか, kouka) Japanese meaning: coin | Kotomora

硬こう貨か

こ

う

か

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

The ordinary everyday meaning: metal money, as opposed to bills or banknotes.

自じ動どう販はん売ばい機きに硬こう貨かを入いれた。

I put coins into the vending machine.

財さい布ふの中なかに百ひゃく円えん硬こう貨かが三さん枚まいある。

There are three 100-yen coins in my wallet.

2

hard currency

Specialized economic or financial use, contrasting with 軟貨; much less common than the everyday sense 'coin.'

See also: 軟貨

専せん門もん用よう語ごとしての「硬こう貨か」は、軟なん貨かに対たいする「hard currency」を指さすことがある。
As a technical term, 硬貨 can refer to 'hard currency' as opposed to soft currency.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉に硬こう貨かを入いれるto insert a coin (into a vending machine, slot, etc.)
自じ動どう販はん売ばい機きに硬こう貨かを入いれた。
I inserted a coin into the vending machine.
硬こう貨かで払はらうto pay in coins
硬こう貨かで払はらうことにした。
I decided to pay with coins.
硬こう貨かを数かぞえるto count coins
硬こう貨かを数かぞえて袋ふくろに入いれた。
I counted the coins and put them in a bag.
硬こう貨かが足たりないto not have enough coins
自じ動どう販はん売ばい機き用ようの硬こう貨かが足たりない。
I don't have enough coins for the vending machine.

Kanji

硬stiff, hard
貨freight, goods, property

Related words

小こ銭ぜにN2sense 1
小銭 is a casual word for loose change one carries around, while 硬貨 is the neutral, more official term for coins as a form of currency.
コインN3sense 1
コイン is a casual loanword often used for game tokens or collectible coins, whereas 硬貨 is the standard term for everyday circulating coins.
貨か幣へいN1sense 1
貨幣 is a broader economic term covering money or currency in general, while 硬貨 refers specifically to coins.
銅どう貨か
硬貨 is the general term for any coin, while 銅貨 specifically denotes a coin made of copper.

Opposites

紙し幣へいN3sense 1
紙幣 means paper money (bills), the direct counterpart to 硬貨's metal coins.
軟なん貨か sense 2
軟貨 (soft currency) is the specialized financial opposite of 硬貨 in its 'hard currency' sense.
お札さつ
硬貨 refers to coins, the metal counterpart to the paper money called お札.

Counted with

枚まいN3
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

Word family

記き念ねん硬こう貨か
commemorative coin

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese compound written with 硬, 'hard,' and 貨, 'money; goods.' The spelling directly matches the ordinary idea of hard metal money, and it is also used in a specialized contrast with 軟貨 in finance.

札さつ

N3

硬貨 refers to coins, the opposite of 札, which refers to paper banknotes.