Lesson 25 · about 5 minutes

By card, in cash

kaado de · genkin de · de

カードで・げんきんで・で

You'll learn how to say you'll pay by card or in cash.

The pattern

カードで / げんきんで

RomajiJapaneseReadingMeaning
kaado deカードでカードでby card / with a card
genkin deげんきんでげんきんでin cash / with cash
deででby means of (marks how you pay)

How they differ

で (de) marks the payment method — same "means" で from Lesson 23:

「カード で おねがいします」(kaado de onegai shimasu): by card, please

「げんきん で はらいます」(genkin de haraimasu): I'll pay in cash

カード alone often means credit/debit at a shop. げんきん is cash. You'll also hear:

「カード は だめ です」(kaado wa dame desu): cards not accepted

「げんきん のみ」(genkin nomi): cash only

はらいます (haraimasu) = pay — useful next to this cluster; you don't need full mastery yet.

Wallet fork: plastic · bills. カードで = tap/swipe, げんきんで = hand over money.

One line: カードで・げんきんで.

Next: Buy, show, try on: かいます / みせます / しちゃくします — shop-floor verbs.

See it in a sentence

  1. kaado de onegai shimasu

    カード で おねがいします。

    By card, please. (polite)

  2. genkin de haraimasu

    げんきん で はらいます。

    I'll pay in cash. (polite)

  3. kaado de ii desu ka?

    カード で いい ですか?

    Is card okay? (polite)

  4. genkin nomi desu

    げんきん のみ です。

    Cash only. (polite)

  5. kaado wa tsukaemasu ka?

    カード は つかえますか?

    Can I use a card? (polite)

Watch out

カードで = by card (method) — カード alone can also mean "business card" (めいし is clearer for that) げんきん = cash money — not げんき (healthy/energetic) で here = means of payment — same particle as でんしゃ で, different English gloss

Try it

  1. In your next story, find カード or げんきん. Say which payment method it is.

    Check against the lesson cluster and say it out loud.