100均

• Reading: ひゃっきん
• Romaji: hyakkin
• Kanji breakdown: 100 (one hundred) + 均 (uniform, equal; short for 均一 = uniform price) → 100-yen uniform-price shop
• Pronunciation: /çak.kiɴ/

Meaning

100-yen shop; a store where most items cost around 100 yen, like Daiso, Seria, or Can★Do.

100均 is shorthand for 100円均一 (everything 100 yen) and is a cornerstone of Japanese consumer culture. Stores like ダイソー, セリア, and キャンドゥ offer surprisingly high-quality goods at rock-bottom prices. 100均 hauls are massive content on social media and YouTube, with people showing off creative uses and hidden gems. The stores have evolved far beyond cheap trinkets — you can find kitchenware, stationery, beauty products, and home organization items that rival expensive brands.

Examples

1. 100均で買ったこの収納ボックス、1000円の商品と変わらないクオリティ。 This storage box I got at the 100-yen shop is the same quality as a ¥1,000 product.
2. とりあえず100均で探してみよう、大体なんでもあるから。 Let's check the 100-yen shop first — they pretty much have everything.
3. 100均のコスメが意外と優秀で、SNSでバズってるの知ってる？ Did you know that 100-yen shop cosmetics are surprisingly good and going viral on social media?

Usage Guide

Context: shopping, daily conversation, social media

Tone: practical, enthusiastic

Do Say

• 100均で十分じゃない？わざわざ高いの買わなくても。 (Isn't the 100-yen shop good enough? No need to buy the expensive version.)
• 100均の新商品チェックするの好きなんだよね。 (I love checking out new products at the 100-yen shop.)

Don't Say

• 「全部100均でいいじゃん」と品質にこだわる人に言うのは避ける (Avoid telling quality-conscious people 'just get everything at the 100-yen shop')

Common Mistakes

• Assuming everything costs exactly 100 yen — many 100均 shops now carry items at 200, 300, or 500 yen as well. Daiso has even launched higher-price-point brands like THREEPPY

Origin & History

Short for 100円均一 (100-yen uniform pricing). The concept started with ダイソー (Daiso), founded in 1977 by 矢野博丈 as a mobile stall selling items at a uniform price. The 100均 format exploded in the 1990s-2000s.

Cultural Context

Era: Daiso founded 1977, 100均 boom from 1990s

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal — from students to professionals

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Major chains include ダイソー (Daiso), セリア (Seria), キャンドゥ (Can★Do), and ワッツ (Watts). 100均 haul videos are a major social media genre.