Translation guide
How to express 'pay for' in Japanese, covering payment for goods/services, treating someone, bearing costs, and idiomatic expressions like 'pay for a mistake'.
I forgot to pay the rent.
More explicit: 'pay the price/charge for something'. Often used in formal or business contexts.
商品の代金を払う。
Pay for the product.
Used for paying fees, charges, or fares (e.g., utilities, admission, transportation).
電気料金を払う。
Pay the electricity bill.
A more formal or written equivalent of 払う, often used in business or official contexts.
請求書を支払う。
Pay the invoice.
The speaker pays on behalf of another person, often as a treat or gesture.
Means 'to treat someone to something'. The person being treated is marked with に, and the thing paid for with を.
友達にランチをおごった。
I treated my friend to lunch.
今日は私がおごるよ。
It's my treat today.
Literally 'to hold (the bill) for someone', meaning to pay for them. Casual and friendly.
ここは私が持ってあげる。
I'll cover this one.
Means 'to pay someone's share'. Used when splitting costs but covering someone else's portion.
彼の分も払っておいた。
I paid for his share too.
Taking financial responsibility for something, often in a business or formal context.
Formal expression meaning 'to bear the cost/expense of something'. Common in contracts and official statements.
交通費は会社が負担します。
The company will cover the transportation expenses.
Similar to 負担する but slightly more literary. Often used for abstract costs or burdens.
その決定のコストを負うのは国民だ。
It is the citizens who bear the cost of that decision.
To suffer negative consequences as a result of one's actions, equivalent to 'pay for (a mistake)'.
Literally 'pay the price/compensation for something'. Used for both literal and figurative consequences.
彼は自分の過ちの代償を払った。
He paid for his mistake.
Idiomatic: 'pay the bill/tab for something', implying delayed consequences catching up.
無理をしたつけを払う時が来た。
The time has come to pay for overdoing it.
Means 'to receive punishment', used when 'pay for' implies being punished.
彼は罪の罰を受けた。
He paid for his crime.
払う is the everyday verb for 'pay'. 支払う is more formal and often used in business writing or when referring to scheduled payments like bills or invoices. In casual speech, 払う is preferred.
買う means 'buy', not 'pay for'. Saying これを買う means 'I'll buy this', which implies ownership transfer. To focus on the payment act, use 払う or おごる as appropriate.