手ごろ・手頃|てごろtegoro[0]heiban (flat)
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
Which spelling to use
手ごろ手ごろ is the more common written form and is used for the meanings “handy,” “convenient,” “suitable,” and “reasonable.”
手頃手頃 is less common than 手ごろ, but it is the form beginners are advised to use; it writes the word entirely in kanji.
Definitions
- na-adjective, nounhandy; convenient
- na-adjective, nounsuitable; reasonable; moderate
Conjugation
| Plain form | 手ごろ（てごろ） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 手ごろです（てごろです） |
| Negative (dewa nai) | 手ごろではない（てごろではない） |
| polite (dewa arimasen) | 手ごろではありません（てごろではありません） |
| Past (datta) | 手ごろだった（てごろだった） |
| Past negative (dewa nakatta) | 手ごろではなかった（てごろではなかった） |
| Te form (de) | 手ごろで（てごろで） |
| Adverbial (ni) | 手ごろに（てごろに） |
| Conditional (nara) | 手ごろなら（てごろなら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym適当てきとうNeutralMeans suitable or appropriate, but also careless and half-hearted, as in 「適当に答える」; 「手ごろ」 is about size or price being just right.
- Synonym適切てきせつNeutralSays a judgment or measure is apt, as in 「適切な処置」; a fairly formal word, while 「手ごろ」 is everyday.
- SynonymふさわしいNeutralSays something matches a person or occasion, as in 「彼に相応しい」; about being fitting, with no sense of price or size.
- Synonym適度てきどNeutralMeans moderate in degree, as in 「適度な運動」; neither too much nor too little, with no hint of a good price.
- SynonymリーズナブルCasualColloquial loanword for fair, affordable prices and, by extension, sensible reasoning; 「手ごろ」 also covers a handy size.
- SynonymもってこいCasualColloquial for just right, ideal, as in 「散歩に持って来い」; warmer enthusiasm than the matter-of-fact 「手ごろ」.
- Synonym程よいほどよいNeutralDescribes a degree that hits the mark, as in 「程よい甘さ」; about fine balance or measure, not price or convenience.
- Synonym値ごろねごろNeutralConfined to prices that feel right to the buyer; 「手ごろ」 also covers size and ease of handling.
- Synonym適したてきしたNeutralSuits a purpose or use, as in 「運動に適した服」; about fitness for a function, not value for money.
- Related相応そうおうWrittenWritten/formal prose for befitting one's status or ability, as in 「年相応」; stresses being proportionate, not handy or affordable.
- Related合うあうNeutralThe broadest of the group: fits in size, suits one's taste, or opinions agree; a verb, so it works differently from 「手ごろ」.
- Related適宜てきぎWrittenOfficial prose for acting as circumstances require, as in 「適宜休憩をとる」; about discretion, not affordability.
- Related適正てきせいWrittenWritten word for proper and reasonable against a standard, as in 「適正価格」; about meeting a norm, not handiness.
- Related妥当だとうWrittenFormal word for a judgment, conclusion or price being sound and reasonable, as in 「妥当な価格」; it assesses validity rather than handy size.
- Related似つかわしいにつかわしいWrittenWritten word for matching an image or occasion, becoming; about appearance and decorum, not price or size.
- Relatedそれ相応それそうおうNeutralMeans matching the case at hand, as in 「それ相応の報酬」; stresses a level corresponding to the situation, not convenience.
- Related分相応ぶんそうおうWrittenWritten word for within one's station and means, as in 「分相応の生活」; tied to status and finances.
- RelatedしかるべきWrittenWritten/formal: what is due or called for, as in 「然るべき措置」; carries a sense of obligation, not convenience.
- RelatedまずまずNeutralGrades something as passable, so-so; a lukewarm verdict, where 「手ごろ」 is a positive judgment.
- Antonym不向きふむきNeutralAntonym: unfit or unsuited to a purpose, the reverse of 「手ごろ」.
Use 「手ごろ」 for a size or price that is just right, as in 「手ごろな値段」. For affordable prices you can also say 「値ごろ」 or 「リーズナブル」; for a moderate degree, 「程よい」 or 「適度」; for matching a person or occasion, 「相応しい」. 「不向き」 is the opposite: unsuitable.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
