Comparing "hua" and "yong"

花 (huā) and 用 (yòng) are both verbs, and both can be paired with certain similar words. 花 means “to spend” and is often paired with time (时间) or money (钱). On the other hand, 用 means “to use” and can be paired with time (时间), money (钱), and a variety of other words. An additional difference is that 花 is used only in informal situations, compared to 用 which has no such restrictions.

B1HSK3ASV4567

	花 (huā)	用 (yòng)
Meaning	to spend	to use
Part of Speech	verb	verb
Formality	informal	flexible

:Yes

Use 花 or 用 for time or money

Common Phrases

In these three phrases, 花 and 用 both mean "spend." The "time" and "money" uses are the most common.

• 花 / 用 钱。 huā / yòng qián.to spend money
• 花 / 用 时间。 huā / yòng shíjiān.to spend time
• 花 / 用 精力。 huā / yòng jīnglì.to spend energy

Example Sentences

• 我 每 天 花 很 多 时间 来 学习 汉语 。 Wǒ měi tiān huā hěn duō shíjiān lái xuéxí Hànyǔ.I spend a lot of time every day learning Chinese.
• 我 不 喜欢 做 家务 ， 因为 需要 花 很 多 时间 。 Wǒ bù xǐhuan zuò jiāwù, yīnwèi xūyào huā hěn duō shíjiān.I don't like to do housework because it takes a lot of time.
• 昨天 他 花 了 三 个 小时 做 作业 。 Zuótiān tā huā le sān gè xiǎoshí zuò zuòyè.Yesterday he spent three hours doing his homework.
• 父母 为了 我 花 了 这么 多 时间 和 钱 。 Fùmǔ wèile wǒ huā le zhème duō shíjiān hé qián.My parents spend so much time and money for me.
• 我 喜欢 买 东西 ， 但是 不 喜欢 花 钱 。 Wǒ xǐhuan mǎi dōngxi, dànshì bù xǐhuan huā qián.I like to buy things, but I don't like to spend money.
• 他们 公司 花 了 很 大 精力 才 找到 了 合适 的 设计师。 Tāmen gōngsī huā le hěn dà jīnglì cái zhǎodào le héshì de shèjìshī.It took a lot of effort for their company to find the right designer.
• 公交 卡 的 钱 用 完 了 ， 你 可以 充值 。 Gōngjiāokǎ de qián yòng wán le, nǐ kěyǐ chōngzhí.You can recharge your bus pass when you've used up the balance on it.
• 我 用 了 很 大 的 精力 来 做 这 件 事情。 Wǒ yòng le hěn dà de jīnglì lái zuò zhè jiàn shìqing.I put a lot of effort into this.
• 做 完 这个 项目，你 用 了 多 长 时间？ Zuò wán zhège xiàngmù, nǐ yòng le duō cháng shíjiān?How long did it take you to finish the project?
• 这些 钱 我 想 留着 自己 用。 Zhèxiē qián wǒ xiǎng liú zhe zìjǐ yòng.I want to keep this money to spend myself.
• 这 本 书 很 重要，我 可以 用 一千 块 把 这 本 书 买 回来。 Zhè běn shū hěn zhòngyào, wǒ kěyǐ yòng yīqiān kuài bǎ zhè běn shū mǎi huílái.This book is important. I can spend a thousand RMB to buy this book back.

用 has a broader range of uses

Common Structure

Although 用 can be a verb by itself meaning "to use," it is often used with other verbs.

用 + [Tool / Means] + Verb Phrase

Example Sentences

When 用 indicates a "tool" or "means," we've highlighted those in the examples below as well.

• 我 平时 用 信用卡 支付 ， 但是 在 中国 我 用 微信 支付 。 Wǒ píngshí yòng xìnyòngkǎ zhīfù, dànshì zài Zhōngguó wǒ yòng Wēixìn zhīfù.I usually pay by credit card, but in China I pay by WeChat.
• 我 不 知道 用 中文 怎么 解释 。 Wǒ bù zhīdào yòng Zhōngwén zěnme jiěshì.I don't know how to explain it in Chinese.
• 我 用 微信 和 朋友 聊天 。 Wǒ yòng Wēixìn hé péngyou liáotiān.I use WeChat to chat with my friends.
• 冬天 我 喜欢 用 取暖 器 ， 不 喜欢 用 空调 。 Dōngtiān wǒ xǐhuan yòng qǔnuǎn qì, bù xǐhuan yòng kōngtiáo.In winter I like to use a heater, not an air conditioner.
• 中国人 现在 很 少 用 现金 。 Zhōngguó rén xiànzài hěn shǎo yòng xiànjīn.Chinese people rarely use cash nowadays.

Websites

• “用”和“花”