ピンからキリまで

also: ぴんからきりまで

ピ

ン

か

ら

キ

リ

ま

で

JLPTN1

Meanings

1

expression

from the best to the worst; from top to bottom; of every kind

Set phrase meaning the whole range from excellent to terrible, or all sorts of things. Often used when describing variety in quality or type.

この店みせにはピンからキリまでの商しょう品ひんがそろっている。

This shop has everything from top-quality to bottom-of-the-barrel products.

応おう募ぼ作さく品ひんはピンからキリまでだった。

The submitted works ranged from excellent to terrible.

Related words

様さま々ざまN3
さまざま means simply 'various' without implying a spread from best to worst, while ピンからキリまで explicitly stresses that range in quality.
玉ぎょく石せき混こん淆こう
玉石混交 is a four-character idiom describing good and bad things mixed together, whereas ピンからキリまで emphasizes the full spectrum from excellent to terrible.
千せん差さ万ばん別べつN1
千差万別 highlights the sheer diversity of types or differences among things, while ピンからキリまで focuses specifically on the quality range from top to bottom.

Etymology

ピン derives from Portuguese pinta, the one-spot on a die or card, while キリ is Japanese 切り, “end” or “limit.” The phrase consequently spans the range from the first point to the last.