JLPT N3 Vocabulary – “製品” and “商品”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “製品せいひん” and “商品しょうひん“
2. “製品せいひん” and “商品しょうひん“
3. Summary
4. Quiz
5. Similar Articles
6. Comment

Q: Are the words “製品せいひん” and “商品しょうひん” the same?

A: Actually, “製品せいひん” (product) and “商品しょうひん” (item) are often used interchangeably.
However, the terms may not always be suitable depending on the context, so let’s examine their differences.

“製品せいひん” and “商品しょうひん“

“製品せいひん” refers to something that one has manufactured or processed themselves.
“商品しょうひん” refers to something that one has not manufactured or processed themselves.
Therefore, the difference lies in whether one has personally created (or been involved in creating) the item.

[Example 1]　
(Person from Company A who made the product)
「うちの新あたらしい製品せいひんは売うれるだろう。」
Our new product will sell.
⇒ Since the person from Company A is involved in manufacturing and processing, it is referred to as a ‘製品‘.

(Person selling Company A’s product)
「この新あたらしい商品しょうひんは売うれるだろう。」
This new item will sell.
⇒ Since the seller is not involved in manufacturing and processing Company A’s product, it is referred to as a ’商品しょうひん‘.

What do you think about the next case?

[Example 2]
(Person from Company A who made the product, speaking to a customer in a store)
「この製品せいひん、とても人気にんきなんですよ。」
This product is very popular.
「この商品しょうひん、とても人気にんきなんですよ。」
This item is very popular.

⇒ In this case, even though the person has made the item themselves, ‘商品しょうひん‘ is more appropriate.
The reason is that the completed ‘thing’ is now in the market for sale and has a price attached to it.
It’s also important to note that the word ‘商‘ inherently means to buy and sell for profit.

Summary

製品せいひん

• Something that one has manufactured or processed themselves.
• Something that is manufactured and available in the market up until it is sold.

商品しょうひん

• Something that one has not manufactured or processed themselves.
• Something that is in the market and available for sale.

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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