v.
To use up or pay out resources, as petals fall from a bloom and vanish. To spend money or time; to cost, take, or consume effort and energy. A blossoming plant (艹) transforms (化) coins into quickly withering petals.
花
n.
The seed-bearing reproductive part of a plant, often colorful. A bloom; also a decorative pattern, firework burst, or the best part/prime. Grass (艹) transforms (化) into a colorful bloom.
adj.
blurred (eyesight); patterned/fancy
Common Usage & Traps
- 花钱 — to spend money
- 花时间 — to spend time
- 花很多时间 — to spend a lot of time
- 花了一百块 — spent 100 yuan
- 一朵花 — one flower
- 这朵花 — this flower
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我花了两天在北京我在北京待了两天花 is for time you pour into an activity, not time you sit still in a place.
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一个花一朵花Flowers are counted with 朵. Using the default 个 marks you as a beginner instantly.
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我买了这件衬衫一百块我花了一百块买这件衬衫The price has to attach to 花, not dangle after the thing you bought.
Can you say 我花了两天在北京 for 'I spent two days in Beijing'?
No. 花 burns time on a task, never on parking yourself somewhere.
花 + 时间 means you pour time into an activity. 我花了两天做这个工作 means I spent two days doing this work. If you are simply staying somewhere for a stretch, 花 is the wrong verb. You say 我在北京待了两天 or 我住了三天. 待 and 住 take the place as the setting, not as the thing you spent. “坐火车比坐飞机便宜得多，去飞机场也要花很多时间，所以，小商觉得坐火车比坐飞机好。” (Taking the train is much cheaper than flying, and getting to the airport also takes a lot of time, so Xiao Shang thinks taking the train is better than flying.) ── [《去上海》](/read/train-or-plane-to-shanghai#s9)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Time on a task | 我花了两天做这个工作。 | 我两天做这个工作。 |
| Staying somewhere | 我在北京待了两天。 | 我花了两天在北京。 |
| Money going out | 我花了一百块买书。 | 我一百块花了买书。 |
How do you say you spent 100 yuan on a shirt?
The price sits right after 花, not after the thing you bought.
The amount lands immediately after 花: 我花了一百块买这件衬衫. That 了 stamps the money as already gone, the same job it does in [dynamic particle 了1](/grammar/le1-completed-aspect-62). You can also park the item up front: 这件衬衫我花了一百块. What you cannot do is let the price trail after 买.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Price after 花 | 我花了一百块买这件衬衫。 | 我买了这件衬衫一百块。 |
| Thing up front | 这件衬衫我花了一百块。 | 我一百块花了这件衬衫。 |
| Only the amount | 花了一百块。 | 一百块花了。 |
How do you tell if 花 means flower or to spend in a sentence?
Check the neighbors: 花 + 钱 or 时间 means spend; a lone 花 with 朵 is a flower.
Chinese reuses one character for two totally different jobs, so you read the surroundings. Followed by 钱, 时间, or a price, it is the verb to spend. Standing alone as a subject, or counted by 朵, it is the noun flower. Never count a flower with 个.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Flower (noun) | 这朵花很漂亮。 | 这个花很漂亮。 |
| Spend (verb) | 我花了很多钱。 | 我很多钱花了。 |
Featured in Story Deep Dive
Follow how this word unfolds across the narrative arc of this graded story.
Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.
- Scene #1
坐火车比坐飞机便宜得多，去飞机场也要 花 很多时间，所以，小商觉得坐火车比坐飞机好。
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