Meaning

Primary

To Pay

Alternative

To Cover

Word Type

transitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

Because the hiragana ends with an sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means bribe, but when you pay a bribe, you are going to pay something or to cover something, like a meal, or something like that.

Reading

まかなう
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This verb uses the kun'yomi reading of the kanji. You haven't learned that yet, so here's mnemonic to help you:

Your employee always works through dinner time, so to pay for their extra work and to cover their meal, you mark a nacho (まかな) with their name. That marked nacho will be their dinner. So generous of you to cover their dinner with a free nacho! A pay increase would be better though.

Context

Context Sentences

もし今赤ちゃんができたら、俺の収入だけで家族を賄うのは無理だと思うんだよ。

I don't think my income would be enough to feed my family if we had a baby now.

Kanji Composition