値段 vs 価格
JLPT N3 vocabulary · what is the difference?
Both mean price and often refer to the same number. 値段 is the everyday spoken word — what you ask a shop assistant. 価格 is the formal written one, used on price tags, product pages, contracts and in business news. In conversation, default to 値段.
When to use each
値段
ねだん
Use 値段 when talking about what something costs in ordinary conversation — asking a price, saying something is expensive or cheap. It is the natural choice for daily shopping.
この靴の値段を聞いてもいいですか。
このくつのねだんをきいてもいいですか。
May I ask the price of these shoes?
思ったより値段が安かったです。
おもったよりねだんがやすかったです。
It was cheaper than I expected.
価格
かかく
Use 価格 in writing and formal speech: product listings, business reports, news about markets. It also forms compounds like 販売価格 and 価格表 where 値段 cannot be substituted.
本日より販売価格を変更いたします。
ほんじつよりはんばいかかくをへんこういたします。
The selling price changes as of today.
原油の価格が上がっています。
げんゆのかかくがあがっています。
The price of crude oil is rising.
Sentences where only one works
すみません、これの値段はいくらですか。
すみません、これのねだんはいくらですか。
Excuse me, how much is this?
Spoken to a shop assistant, so 値段. 価格 here would sound like reading from a catalogue.
各社の価格を比較した表です。
かくしゃのかかくをひかくしたひょうです。
This is a table comparing each company's prices.
A written business document — 価格 matches the register.
希望小売価格は三千円です。
きぼうこうりかかくはさんぜんえんです。
The recommended retail price is 3,000 yen.
A fixed compound term; 値段 cannot replace 価格 inside it.
この店は値段が高いね。
このみせはねだんがたかいね。
This shop is pricey, isn't it?
Casual remark to a friend. 価格が高いね would sound oddly stiff.
Common mistakes
この大根の価格はいくらですか。
この大根の値段はいくらですか。
Asking about a vegetable at a market is everyday talk, and 価格 makes it sound like a market analysis. Not ungrammatical, just unnatural.
大値段
値段が高い
値段 does not form compounds the way 価格 does. Say 値段が高い in speech, and switch to 価格 when you need a compound such as 販売価格.
Frequently asked questions
Is one of them more expensive-sounding?
No — neither implies a high or low amount. The difference is register only: 値段 casual and spoken, 価格 formal and written.
What about 料金 and 代金?
Those are different things: 料金 is a fee or fare for a service, and 代金 is the sum you owe for goods. 値段 and 価格 are what an item costs.
Can I use 価格 in conversation?
Yes, and it is normal at work or when discussing markets. Outside those contexts it sounds formal, so 値段 is the safer everyday default.