价格

• Pinyin: jià gé
• Hanzi breakdown: 价 = 亻(person) + 介 (between, mediate) — a person mediating exchange; 格 = 木 (wood) + 各 (each) — a standard framework or grid

Meaning

Price; the amount of money asked or paid for something. A standard, often formal term used in commerce, economics, and everyday transactions.

Used in both formal and everyday contexts, 价格 is the standard written and spoken term for price. It often appears in phrases like 价格上涨 (price rises), 价格合理 (reasonable price), 市场价格 (market price). It is slightly more formal than 价钱, which is more colloquial.

Examples

1. 这件衣服的价格太高了，我买不起。 The price of this piece of clothing is too high — I can't afford it.
2. 市场上蔬菜的价格最近涨了不少。 Vegetable prices on the market have risen quite a bit recently.
3. 你能告诉我这款手机的价格吗？ Could you tell me the price of this mobile phone?

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, business, economics, everyday

Tone: factual

Do Say

• 这里的价格比超市便宜。(The prices here are cheaper than the supermarket.)
• 请问这个价格可以打折吗？(Can this price be discounted?)

Don't Say

• 价格很贵的东西。(Don't use 价格 as an adjective modifier directly before a noun in this way — say 价格很高的东西 (things with a high price) or 贵的东西 (expensive things).)

Origin & History

Compound of 价 (price, value) and 格 (standard, grade, format). Together they denote a standardised measure of value — the set or listed price of something.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal