浪費

• Reading: ろうひ
• Romaji: rohi
• Kanji breakdown: 浪 (waves, wandering) + 費 (expense, spending) → money drifting away; wasteful spending
• Pronunciation: /ɾoː.çi/

Meaning

Wasteful spending; squandering money on things of little value.

Unlike 散財 which can be fun, 浪費 carries a more critical, negative tone — it implies the money was truly wasted with nothing worthwhile to show for it. It's commonly used in self-criticism or when lecturing others about poor spending habits. Financial advice content frequently uses this word as something to avoid.

Examples

1. コンビニで毎日なんとなく買い物するの、積み重なると浪費だよね。 Mindlessly buying stuff at the convenience store every day really adds up to wasted money, you know?
2. 浪費癖を直したくて家計簿アプリ入れたのに三日坊主で終わった。 I downloaded a budget app to fix my wasteful spending habits, but I gave up after three days.
3. セール品ばっかり買うのも、使わないなら浪費と同じだよ。 Even if you're only buying sale items, it's still wasteful spending if you never use them.

Usage Guide

Context: financial advice, self-reflection, social media

Tone: critical, cautionary

Do Say

• 浪費を減らすために、買う前に本当に必要か考えるようにしてる。 (To cut wasteful spending, I try to think about whether I really need something before buying.)
• ソシャゲへの課金は浪費だって分かってるけどやめられない。 (I know spending on mobile games is a waste but I can't stop.)

Don't Say

• 趣味への投資を「浪費」と呼ぶと失礼になることがある — calling someone's hobby spending 'wasteful' can be rude

Common Mistakes

• Using 浪費 and 散財 interchangeably — 浪費 is more critical and negative, while 散財 can be lighthearted

Origin & History

From 浪 (waves, drifting) + 費 (expense). A classical Sino-Japanese compound suggesting money drifting away like waves. Has maintained consistent usage across generations as a word of financial caution.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical term, consistently used across eras

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across Japan. Common in financial literacy content, self-help books, and money management discussions.