Translation guide
Describes something that is extremely inexpensive, often surprisingly so. In Japanese, this is expressed through adjectives, adverbs, or set phrases that emphasize low cost.
To say that something is very cheap, often with a nuance of being a bargain or surprisingly low-priced.
A common, casual term meaning 'super cheap' or 'dirt cheap'. Often used in advertising and everyday speech.
この店は激安だ。
This store is dirt cheap.
激安の服を見つけた。
I found dirt cheap clothes.
Means 'bargain-priced' or 'very cheap'. Slightly more formal than 激安, suitable for both spoken and written contexts.
Literally 'almost free'. Used when something is so cheap it's practically being given away.
この野菜はただ同然だった。
These vegetables were dirt cheap.
激安 is more emphatic and casual, often used in advertisements and everyday conversation. 格安 is slightly more formal and can be used in business contexts or written descriptions.
Do not translate 'dirt cheap' literally as 泥のように安い (doro no you ni yasui). This is not a natural Japanese expression.
格安航空券を探しています。
I'm looking for dirt cheap plane tickets.
An idiomatic phrase meaning 'dirt cheap' or 'for a song'. Literally 'two bundles, three mon' (old currency), implying a pittance. Somewhat literary.
その土地は二束三文で売られた。
The land was sold for dirt cheap.