How to say "sell" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 売るうるgodan verb, transitive verbThe default verb for the act of selling: a shop or a person sells goods to a customer, so choose it whenever you simply mean 'sell'.
- 売れるうれるichidan verb, intransitive verbThe intransitive counterpart of 売る: the goods themselves sell or sell well, so the focus is on demand rather than on the seller's act.
- 売り込むうりこむgodan verb, transitive verbIts main sense is to promote a product or build a market for it, so use it when 'sell' means 'market' or 'push' a product; for the plain transaction, 売る fits better.
- 手放すてばなすgodan verb, transitive verbReally means to part with or relinquish something you have; selling is only one way of letting go, so it is seldom the word you want for 'sell' itself — 売る covers the transaction.
Use 「売る」 for the basic act of selling, 「売れる」 when something sells or sells well, 「売り込む」 for promoting or pushing a product, and 「手放す」 for parting with a possession rather than the sale itself.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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