How do you say "use-by date (the safety deadline)" in Japanese?

Name: Two Date Stamps on Japanese Food. One Is a Suggestion, One Is a Deadline.
Uploaded: 2026-08-22T14:05:03Z
Duration: 20 s
Description: Learn to say 消費期限 (shōhi kigen) — use-by date (the safety deadline). A 30-second Japanese lesson for travelers from Kōfuku.

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Two Date Stamps on Japanese Food. One Is a Suggestion, One Is a Deadline.

To say use-by date (the safety deadline) in Japanese, say 消費期限 (shōhi kigen).

Your konbini onigiri has a date stamped on it. Whether that date is a polite suggestion or a hard deadline comes down to two kanji.

消費期限 shōhi kigen use-by date (the safety deadline)

Survival sign-decode #learnjapanese #japantravel #konbini #japanesekanji #survivaljapanese

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In this video

消費期限 shōhi kigen Use-by date.
「消費期限」 is the safety clock. Eat it by then. It only goes on stuff that spoils fast, so that's your onigiri, your bento, your sandwich. 「消費期限」 is the safety clock. Eat it by then. It only goes on stuff that spoils fast, so that's your onigiri, your bento, your sandwich.
The other one, 「賞味期限」, is just the flavour clock. Best before. A day past it, your rice crackers are honestly fine. The other one, 「賞味期限」, is just the flavour clock. Best before. A day past it, your rice crackers are honestly fine.
消費期限は、安全に食べられる期限です。 shōhi kigen wa, anzen ni taberareru kigen desu. The use-by date is the deadline for eating it safely.

Why this phrase

Japanese packaged food carries one of two date labels and they are not interchangeable. 消費期限 is the safety clock on things that spoil fast, and 賞味期限 is only the flavour clock. In kana they are one character apart, which is exactly why tourists read the wrong one off a half-price bento in August.