Japanese symbol for “spend”
過ごす
すごす
Romaji: sugosu
to spend (time); to pass; to lead (a life); to live
In Japanese, spend is 過ごす, read すごす (sugosu).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5s, vt to spend (time); to pass; to lead (a life); to live
- v5s, vt to overdo (esp. alcohol consumption); to drink (alcohol); to carry too far; to carry to excess
- v5s, vt to take care of; to support
- suf, v5s to overdo; to do too much
- suf, v5s to ... without acting on it; to ... without getting involved
Written forms: 過ごす、過す. Readings: すごす.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “spend”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 費やす | ついやす tsuiyasu | to spend; to expend; to consume |
| 送る | おくる okuru | to spend (time); to pass; to lead (a life) |
| 使う | つかう tsukau | to use (time, money, etc.); to spend; to consume |
| 明かす | あかす akasu | to pass (the night); to spend |
| 移す | うつす utsusu | to spend (time); to let (time) pass |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 過去 | かこ kako | the past; bygone days |
| 過ぎ | すぎ sugi | past; after |
| 過程 | かてい katei | process; course; mechanism |
| 経過 | けいか keika | passage (of time); elapsing; lapse |
| 通過 | つうか tsuuka | passing through (a tunnel, station, town, etc.); passing by (e.g. of a typhoon); transit |
| 過剰 | かじょう kajou | excess; surplus; superabundance |
See also: Chinese symbol for “spend”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.