コスパ

• 読み: コスパ
• ローマ字: kosupa
• 漢字の分解: From English 'cost performance' → コストパフォーマンス → abbreviated to コスパ
• 発音: /ko.su.pa/

意味

Cost performance — the value or quality you get relative to the price paid, essentially 'bang for your buck.'

コスパ is the universally used abbreviation of コストパフォーマンス (cost performance). It evaluates whether something is worth its price — 'コスパが良い' means good value for money, 'コスパが悪い' means overpriced relative to quality. Unlike English 'cheap' which can sound negative, コスパが良い is entirely positive — it means smart spending. The term is used for everything from restaurants and electronics to subscription services and life choices. It is one of the most fundamental evaluation criteria in Japanese consumer culture.

例文

1. このランチ1000円でこのボリュームはコスパ最強。
2. コスパ考えたらサブスクの方がお得だよ。
3. コスパ悪いけど味は最高だからたまに行く。

使い方ガイド

場面: general conversation, restaurants, shopping, social media, reviews

トーン: evaluative, practical

正しい言い方

• コスパ良すぎてリピ確定。 (The value is so good, I'm definitely coming back.)
• コスパで選ぶならこっちかな。 (If we're choosing by value, probably this one.)

避ける言い方

• 高級レストランでコスパの話をする (Don't talk about コスパ at a high-end restaurant — it misses the point of luxury dining)

よくある間違い

• Thinking コスパが良い means 'cheap' — it means good VALUE for the price, not necessarily low price
• Using コスパ in very formal writing — use コストパフォーマンス or 費用対効果 (hiyō taikōka) instead

起源と歴史

Abbreviated from コストパフォーマンス (kosuto pafōmansu, cost performance), from English 'cost performance.' Entered mainstream Japanese vocabulary in the 2000s-2010s and is now one of the most commonly used evaluation terms in daily conversation.

文化的背景

時代: 2000s-2010s mainstream adoption

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across Japan. One of the most common evaluation terms in Japanese consumer culture, rivaled only by the newer タイパ.