品質
ひんしつ
hinshitsu
The term refers to the objective degree of excellence, performance, or reliability of a physical product or a specific service. While it is often translated as "quality," it is more technical and formal than the word 質 (shitsu).
Unlike 質, which can be used for abstract concepts—such as the quality of a person's character (人の質) or the quality of a piece of art (作品の質)—品質 is almost exclusively used for manufactured goods, software, or professional services. It implies a standard or a specification that can be measured or evaluated against a benchmark.
In business contexts, it is frequently paired with terms like 管理 (kanri - management) or 保証 (hoshō - guarantee), reflecting its association with industrial standards and quality assurance (QA). Using 品質 in a casual conversation about a person's personality would be unnatural and incorrect.
Meanings
The degree of excellence of a product or service.
Examples
This product is highly trusted by customers because its quality is very high.
安い物を買うよりは品質の良い物を長く使う方が経済的だ。
It is more economical to use high-quality items for a long time than to buy cheap ones.
The deep flavor of this dish is created by being particular about the quality of the ingredients.
I want to further improve the quality of the service by introducing the latest technology.
品質が低い商品を出荷してしまうとブランドイメージが悪くなる。
If we ship products of low quality, the brand image will suffer.
もっと品質を高めないと市場での競争に勝つことはできない。
Unless we improve the quality more, we cannot win the competition in the market.