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硬貨 (こうか) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

硬こう貨か

こ

う

か

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

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

noun

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.

Kanji

硬stiff, hard
貨freight, goods, property

Similar words

紙し幣へい
Means paper money or banknotes; it contrasts with 硬貨 in the everyday sense of coins.
小こ銭ぜに
Casual word for small change; often includes coins carried for everyday use, while 硬貨 is more neutral and official-sounding.
貨か幣へい
Broader term for money or currency as an economic concept; 硬貨 specifically means coins in everyday usage.
軟なん貨か
Specialized finance term meaning soft currency; it is the contrastive term for the hard-currency sense of 硬貨.

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.