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

  • 駅で財布をなくして、友人に助けを求めた。
    Eki de saifu o nakushite, yūjin ni tasuke o motometa.
    I lost my wallet at the station and asked a friend for help.
    Lista:
    • 駅で (eki de) – at the station
    • 財布を (saifu o) – wallet (object marker)
    • なくして (nakushite) – having lost
    • 友人に (yūjin ni) – to a friend
    • 助けを (tasuke o) – help (object marker)
    • 求めた (motometa) – asked for
    Aqui, 財布「さいふ」 é o objeto direto marcado por を; aqui なくして mostra a forma te de なくす, indicando que você perdeu a carteira.
  • 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.
  • この財布は 安っぽい ので すぐ 誤解される。
    kono saifu wa yasuppoi node sugu gokai sareru.
    This wallet looks cheap, so it’s quickly misinterpreted.
    Lista:
    • この財布は (kono saifu wa) – this wallet is
    • 安っぽい (yasuppoi) – cheap-looking
    • ので (node) – so / because
    • すぐ (sugu) – quickly
    • 誤解される (gokai sareru) – be misunderstood
    The target word 「安っぽい」 is an i-adjective meaning ‘cheap-looking’. In this sentence it describes 「財布」 and is linked to the result by the conjunctive phrase 「ので」, showing cause -> effect: cheap-looking leads to being misinterpreted.
  • 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.
  • 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.
財布