What is The Difference Between 締め切り and 期限?
締め切り and 期限 are quite similar, so Japanese learns may have been complicated about them. However, the difference between them is only one. When you figure one point out, the way to use 締め切り and 期限 could be clear and understandable to you. Let me introduce how you clearly figure it out today!
締め切り has the just one meaning which is “deadline” for the submission such as tasks, homework, reports, documents of contracts and etc, unlike 期限. If someone does not make the deadline for the submission, he/she would be taken a penalty such as paying money, the boss might get angry at him/her, losing the contacts and etc. Basically, someone has to keep 締め切り(the deadline), unlike 期限. And it is often written “exp. 2/28/2018 (US), exp. 28/2/2018 (UK). The difference between them is that 締め切り has these penalties and 期限 does not have these ones.
期限 means “expire” and is different from 締め切り. Unlike 締め切り, 期限 is used as the various meanings such as for foods, passports, driver licenses, certificates etc. Although 締め切り has the penalties, 期限 does not have “those penalties” which I have mentioned earlier or it comes to an end or stops being in use. 期限 is a length of time and is often written “exp. 2/28/2018 (US), exp. 28/2/2018 (UK) as well.