JLPT N3・N4 Vocabulary – The differences between “価格”, “値段” and “料金”

Table of Contents

1. The difference between “価格かかく“, “値段ねだん” and “料金りょうきん“
2. 価格かかく
3. 値段ねだん
4. 料金りょうきん
5. Let’s Compare
6. Summary
7. Quiz
8. Similar Articles
9. Comments

Q: Please explain the difference between “価格かかく,” “値段ねだん,” and “料金りょうきん.”

A: All three words refer to the amount of money paid for goods or services.
However, they are used in slightly different situations and have different nuances.
Let’s look at each one in detail.

価格かかく (JLPT N3)

[Meaning]
The amount of money you pay when buying something

[Key Points]
・A slightly formal expression
・Often used in formal situations, such as markets, business, news, and company materials
・Especially used when expressing the value of a product or its amount in the market

[Commonly Used Words]
商品しょうひん価格かかく (product price)・価格かかく帯たい (price range)・価格かかく動向どうこう (price trends)・価格かかく競争きょうそう (price competition)・高こう価格かかく (high price)・低てい価格かかく (low price)・希望きぼう価格かかく (suggested price)・販売はんばい価格かかく (selling price)

[Examples]
商品しょうひんの価格かかくを見直みなおしました。
We have reviewed the prices of our products.

私わたしたちの価格かかくに勝かてる会社かいしゃはないでしょう。
No company can beat our prices.

私わたしたちの店みせでは、手てごろな価格かかくの宝石ほうせきを扱あつかっています。
Our store offers reasonably priced jewelry.

最近さいきん、食品しょくひんの価格かかくが上あがっています。
Recently, food prices have been rising.

値段ねだん (JLPT N4)

[Meaning]
The amount of money you pay when buying something

[Key Points]

・A word often used in everyday conversation

・Often used when talking about things sold in stores, such as when you want to say “How much is it?”, “It’s expensive,” or “It’s cheap”

・Softer than “価格かかく” and sounds more natural in conversation

[Examples]
こちらのお値段ねだんは980円えんです。　
This one is 980 yen.

野菜やさいの値段ねだんが上あがっています。
Vegetable prices are going up.

値段ねだんを見みてから買かうかどうか決きめます。

I will decide whether to buy it after checking the price.

この店みせは飲のみ物ものの値段ねだんが安やすいです。
The drinks at this store are cheap.

料金りょうきん (JLPT N3)

[Meaning]
The money paid for a service or use of something

[Commonly Used Words]
電話でんわ料金りょうきん (phone bill)・電気でんき料金りょうきん (electricity bill)・宿泊しゅくはく料金りょうきん (accommodation fee)・公共こうきょう料金りょうきん (utility bills)・サービス料金りょうきん (service charge)

[Examples]
このホテルは東京とうきょうにあるのに、宿泊しゅくはく料金りょうきんがとても安やすいです。

Although this hotel is in Tokyo, the accommodation fee is very low.

ガスの料金りょうきんの支払しはらいを忘わすれないようにします。
I will make sure not to forget to pay the gas bill.

ここでは、追加ついかサービスには別途べっと料金りょうきんがかかります。
Here, additional services incur extra charges.

追加ついか料金りょうきんはかかりますか。
Is there an extra charge?

Let’s Compare

[価格かかく・値段ねだん]

“価格かかく” and “値段ねだん” are both words that express the amount of money something costs.
For this reason, there are cases where the meaning does not change much even if you switch them.

However, strictly speaking, they have slightly different nuances.
“価格かかく” refers to the value of a product or item expressed in money.
It is a slightly formal expression and is often used in business, news, and discussions about markets.

On the other hand, “値段ねだん” refers to the amount of money that a buyer actually pays.
In everyday conversation, “値段ねだん” often sounds more natural than“価格かかく.”

First, let’s look at examples where the meaning is almost the same even if the words are switched.

[Examples]
このパソコンの価格かかくは高たかいです。
このパソコンの値段ねだんは高たかいです。
The price of this computer is high.
⇒ Both can be used.
However, “価格かかく” sounds a little more formal and gives the impression that the speaker is focusing on the product’s value or its set price.
“値段ねだん” gives the impression that the speaker is focusing on the amount of money the buyer pays.

Now, how about the following examples?

[Examples]
金きんの価格かかくが上あがっています。
金きんの値段ねだんが上あがっています。
The price of gold is rising.
⇒ Both can be used.
However, in news or discussions about the market, “価格かかく” sounds more natural.
On the other hand, if you are talking about gold products sold in a store, “値段ねだん” also sounds natural.

In everyday conversation like the following, “値段ねだん” sounds more natural.

[Examples]
〇ここのコーヒーの値段ねだんは高たかすぎます。
△ ここのコーヒーの価格かかくは高たかすぎます。
The coffee here is too expensive.
⇒ This sentence is not talking about coffee prices in the overall market.
It is talking about the amount of money paid for coffee sold at a specific shop.
Therefore, in everyday conversation, “値段ねだん” sounds more natural.

Also, “価格かかく” is often used in fixed word combinations.
In these cases, replacing it with “値段ねだん” can sound unnatural.

[Examples]
〇商品しょうひん価格かかくを見直みなおしました。
× 商品しょうひん値段ねだんを見直みなおしました。
We reviewed the product prices.
　　　
〇価格かかく動向どうこうを調査ちょうさしました。
× 値段ねだん動向どうこうを調査ちょうさしました。
We investigated price trends.

〇 価格かかく競争きょうそうが激はげしくなっています。

× 値段ねだん競争きょうそうが激はげしくなっています。

Price competition is becoming intense.

[料金りょうきん]

“料金りょうきん” is the money you pay when you use a service or use something.
It is not used for the price of an object itself, but for the amount of money paid for a service or use.
For example, “料金りょうきん” is used for electricity, gas, phone services, hotels, trains, and other services.
For this reason, the situations where “料金りょうきん” is used are clearly different from those for “価格かかく” and “値段ねだん.”

[Examples]
タクシー料金りょうきんは時間じかん帯たいによって変かわります。

Taxi fares vary depending on the time of day.

子こどもの料金りょうきんは大人おとなの半額はんがくです。
The child fare is half the adult fare.

キャンセルする場合ばあいは、キャンセル料金りょうきんがかかることがあります。
If you cancel, a cancellation fee may apply.

Summary

[価格かかく]

• The “value” of an item or product expressed in money.
• It is often used in markets and business situations.

[値段ねだん]

• The amount of money that a consumer actually pays when buying something.
• It is often used in everyday conversation.

[料金りょうきん]

• The amount of money paid when using a service or facility.
• It is often used for electricity, gas, phone services, hotels, transportation, and similar services.

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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