1.
fee-charging, paid, for a fee
Requiring payment; not free. Used to describe services, facilities, or content that cost money.
有料 means "requiring payment" — the opposite of 無料 (free). It functions as a noun and の-adjective, modifying other nouns directly or with の.
Compounds
有 (have/exist) + 料 (fee) — literally "fee exists."
Common collocations
- 有料道路: toll road
- 有料駐車場: paid parking
- 有料サービス: paid service
- 有料コンテンツ: paid content
- 有料アプリ: paid app
- 有料会員: paid member
Common patterns
有料 often appears in signs and notices: この駐車場は有料です (This parking lot charges a fee). In everyday speech, the contrast with 無料 is very common: 有料か無料か (whether it's paid or free).