賞味期限

• 読み: しょうみきげん
• ローマ字: shoumikigen
• 漢字の分解: 賞 (shou) — prize, praise; 味 (mi) — taste, flavour; 期 (ki) — period; 限 (gen) — limit
• 発音: /ɕoː.mi.ki.geɴ/

意味

Best-before date; expiry date. The date printed on food packaging indicating when the product is at its best quality.

A noun seen on nearly every food product in Japan. Distinct from 消費期限 (shouhikigen, use-by date), which indicates safety rather than quality — food past its 賞味期限 may still be safe to eat, while food past its 消費期限 should be discarded. This distinction is important in discussions about food waste (食品ロス).

例文

1. この牛乳は賞味期限が明日までだ。
2. 賞味期限が切れた食品をすぐ捨てるのはもったいない。
3. 缶詰は賞味期限が長いから非常食に向いている。

使い方ガイド

場面: food, shopping, daily life

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From Sino-Japanese: 賞味 (shoumi, relishing/savouring) + 期限 (kigen, time limit/deadline). Literally 'the deadline for savouring' — the period during which flavour is guaranteed.

文化的背景

時代: Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal