How do you say "free / costs money" in Japanese?

Name: One of These Two Kanji Is Quietly Costing You Money All Over Japan.
Uploaded: 2026-08-11T06:05:00Z
Duration: 26 s
Description: Learn to say 無料・有料 (muryou / yuuryou) — free / costs money. A 30-second Japanese lesson for travelers from Kōfuku.

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One of These Two Kanji Is Quietly Costing You Money All Over Japan.

To say free / costs money in Japanese, say 無料・有料 (muryou / yuuryou).

The locker, the station wifi, the hotel shuttle and the seat upgrade all get decided by the same two kanji, and they differ by one character.

無料・有料 muryou / yuuryou free / costs money

Survival sign-decode #learnjapanese #japantravel #japanesekanji #japantips #traveljapan

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In this video

無料、有料。 muryou, yuuryou. Free. Paid.
このロッカーは有料です。 kono rokkaa wa yuuryou desu. This locker costs money.

Kanji in this phrase

無料: むりょう
有料: ゆうりょう
料: りょう

Why this phrase

無料 and 有料 are the highest reuse kanji pair a traveller can learn. They share 料, meaning charge, and the first character flips the meaning: 無 is none, 有 is there is. They appear on coin lockers, station wifi, shuttle buses, luggage storage, some train seats and toll roads. Teach ONE rule so it lands as a single takeaway: 有 means you pay. Do NOT use public toilets as an example, because paid toilets are effectively nonexistent in Japan and the false detail is the first thing a commenter will hit. Do NOT promise which specific services are free, because it varies by operator.