プライスレス

• 読み: プライスレス
• ローマ字: puraisu resu
• 漢字の分解: From English 'priceless' (price + -less) → katakana loanword プライスレス
• 発音: /pu.ɾa.i.su.ɾe.su/

意味

Priceless; something whose value transcends money — an experience or feeling that can't be bought.

プライスレス entered mainstream Japanese through Mastercard's iconic advertising campaign ('お金で買えない価値がある — priceless'). It's now used independently to describe irreplaceable experiences, moments, and relationships. Japanese speakers use it sincerely for touching moments ('子どもの笑顔はプライスレス') and humorously for absurd situations. It's a distinctly modern loanword that fills a gap Japanese didn't have a single catchy word for.

例文

1. 推しに手を振ってもらえた瞬間はプライスレスだった。
2. 家族と過ごすお正月はプライスレスだよね。
3. 旅先で偶然見つけた景色がプライスレスすぎて写真じゃ伝わらない。

使い方ガイド

場面: social media, daily conversation, friends

トーン: sentimental, emphatic

正しい言い方

• この体験はプライスレスだわ。 (This experience is truly priceless.)
• 友達との時間はプライスレスだから、お金より大事。 (Time with friends is priceless — more important than money.)

避ける言い方

• 値段交渉の場で「プライスレスです」は通じない — 冗談として言うなら状況を選ぶ (Using 'priceless' during price negotiation doesn't work — if joking, pick your audience)

よくある間違い

• Overusing プライスレス for trivial things — it loses impact. Reserve it for genuinely meaningful or humorous moments

起源と歴史

From English 'priceless,' popularized in Japan by Mastercard's global advertising campaign (「お金で買えない価値がある」). The campaign ran from the late 1990s and the word became part of everyday Japanese vocabulary by the 2000s.

文化的背景

時代: Late 1990s-2000s via Mastercard campaign

世代: 20s-50s

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Most people associate it with the Mastercard ad. It's used both sincerely and humorously in casual conversation.