The Meaning of saifu [財布] In Japanese

財布
さいふ
Romaji: saifu N5

What does 財布 mean?

Translation and Meaning

wallet, purse

Definition

財布 means a wallet or purse. It’s a small, portable container used to carry money, cards, and other small personal items, typically kept in a pocket or bag for everyday transactions.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Primary sense: a personal container used to carry cash, credit cards, and receipts
  • Figurative use: funds or a person’s available money or budget in discussions of finances

Etymology

From 貝 money and 帚 broom, a two-kanji combination whose historical sense centers on a container for money, giving rise to the modern wallet meaning.

Composition

  • 貝: money, wealth; shells historically used as currency in ancient Japan
  • 帚: broom; here functioning as a phonetic element to yield the reading

Usage

Used in both casual and formal contexts to name the object that stores money and payment cards; common in everyday speech, travel discussions, shopping contexts, and personal finance talks; used when talking about losing, finding, or budgeting with money.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a small shell (貝) that stores coins and a broom (帚) sweeping loose coins into your wallet, linking the idea of money storage with the word saifu.

Variations

  • サイフ (saifu) — katakana variant
  • 札入れ (ふだいれ, fudaire) — wallet mainly for banknotes
  • 長財布 (ながさいふ, nagasaifu) — long wallet
  • 二つ折り財布 (ふたつおりさいふ, futatsubori saifu) — bifold wallet

Words with the same Kanji

Example Phrases

  • 朝急いで 財布の中から 忘れ物の カードを 取り出す。
    asa isoide saifu no naka kara wasuremono no kaado wo toridasu.
    In a hurry this morning, I take out the forgotten card from inside my wallet.
    Lista:
    • 朝急いで (asa isoide) – in a hurry this morning
    • 財布の中から (saifu no naka kara) – from inside the wallet
    • 忘れ物の (wasuremono no) – forgotten item
    • カードを (kaado wo) – card
    • 取り出す (toridasu) – to take out
    The core grammar point is 「取り出す」 meaning ‘to take out.’ It is a transitive verb that takes the object marked by 「を」; here the object is 「カードを」. The source is indicated with 「から」 after 「財布の中」: 財布の中からカードを取り出す.
  • 朝の 準備で 財布と パスが あべこべに なって しまった
    Asa no junbi de saifu to pasu ga abekobe ni natte shimatta
    During morning preparations, my wallet and my pass got swapped.
    Lista:
    • 朝の (asa no) – morning’s
    • 準備で (junbi de) – during preparation
    • 財布と (saifu to) – wallet and
    • パスが (pasu ga) – the pass
    • あべこべに (abekobe ni) – in reverse
    • なって (natte) – became
    • しまった (shimatta) – ended up
    「あべこべ」は物事が順序や向きが逆になる意味。ここでは「あべこべに」で財布とパスの混同を修飾している。
  • 今日は出費が多く、財布が厳しい。
    Kyou wa shuppi ga ōku, saifu ga kibishii.
    Today there are many expenses, and my wallet is tight.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (kyou wa) – today (topic marker)
    • 出費が (shuppi ga) – expenses (subject marker)
    • 多く (ōku) – many
    • 財布が (saifu ga) – wallet (subject marker)
    • 厳しい (kibishii) – tight
    The target word 「出費」 means expenses; here it functions as the subject of the clause 出費が多く.
  • うっかり、しまった、財布を家に忘れてきた。
    ukkari, shimatta, saifu o ie ni wasurete kita.
    I carelessly forgot my wallet at home.
    Lista:
    • うっかり (ukkari) – carelessly
    • しまった (shimatta) – oh no
    • 財布を (saifu o) – wallet
    • 家に (ie ni) – at home
    • 忘れてきた (wasurete kita) – forgot and came back
    The word 「しまった」 expresses regret after realizing a mistake; here it functions as an interjection meaning “oh no.”
  • 私は 矢鱈に 買い物を しすぎて 財布が すぐに なくなった。
    Watashi wa yatarani kaimono o shisugite saifu ga sugu ni nakunatta.
    I shopped recklessly and ran out of money immediately.
    Lista:
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 矢鱈に (yatarani) – recklessly
    • 買い物を (kaimono o) – shopping
    • しすぎて (shisugite) – did too much
    • 財布が (saifu ga) – wallet
    • すぐに (sugu ni) – immediately
    • なくなった (nakunatta) – was gone
    The adverb 「矢鱈に」 means ‘recklessly; indiscriminately’, used to modify the following verb.
財布