价钱

• Pinyin: jià qian
• Hanzi breakdown: 价 = 亻(person) + 介 (mediate); 钱 = 钅(metal/money) + 戋 (small, shallow) — small metal coins

Meaning

Price; cost. A colloquial term for the amount of money something costs, more informal and conversational than 价格.

Used mainly in spoken language and informal contexts, particularly when bargaining, shopping, or asking about costs in everyday life. 价钱 feels more personal and colloquial than 价格, which is more common in written, economic, or formal contexts. Common in phrases like 讲价钱 (haggle over the price) and 价钱公道 (the price is fair).

Examples

1. 这家店的价钱很公道，我经常来买东西。 The prices in this shop are very fair — I come here to buy things often.
2. 你觉得这个价钱合适吗？ Do you think this price is reasonable?
3. 他们在市场上讨价还价，最后谈好了价钱。 They bargained at the market and finally agreed on a price.

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, market, everyday, bargaining

Tone: conversational

Do Say

• 你问问他价钱多少。(Ask him how much it costs.)
• 这里的价钱比那边便宜。(The prices here are cheaper than over there.)

Don't Say

• 国家价钱政策。(Don't use 价钱 in formal or policy contexts — use 价格 instead. 价钱 is colloquial and unsuitable for official or economic language.)

Origin & History

Compound of 价 (price, value) and 钱 (money, coins). The addition of 钱 (money) makes it sound more concrete and colloquial — literally the 'money amount' of something.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal