オークション
ōkushon[o̞ːkɯ̟̊ɕõ̞ɴ]
The English phrase "auction" is translated into Japanese as オークション (ōkushon). Wiktionary also lists 競売 (kyōbai) and 競り売り (seriuri).
Meaning: public sales event (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| オークション | ōkushon | [o̞ːkɯ̟̊ɕõ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
| 競売 | kyōbai | [kʲo̞ːba̠i] (narrow) |
| 競り売り | seriuri | |
| 競売り | seriuri |
All provided terms refer to a public sales event. You can use オークション for general purposes, while 競売 is often used in technical or legal contexts. The verb forms 競売する and 競りにかける mean to sell at an auction, with the latter specifically describing the act of a seller putting an item up for bidding.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 競り売り is composed of 競り, meaning bidding or calling out and 売り, meaning selling.
Which one should you use?
競売 is a formal, technical or legal term for an auction.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
ōkushon
Did you know?
- The term 競り, used in 競り売り, originates from the traditional fish markets where auctioneers use a rhythmic, melodic chanting style to call out prices.
- In the context of traditional markets, the 'auction' is not just a price mechanism but a highly choreographed social ritual involving specific hand gestures.
- In legal Japanese, 競売 is specifically associated with court-ordered sales of foreclosed property, making it sound much more ominous than the general term オークション.
Examples in context
- トムはオークションでこの馬を手に入れた。Tom bought this horse at an auction.This sentence shows how to use オークション to describe buying something at an auction.Tatoeba #8584553 by small_snow, translation #3511272 by Hybrid
- 彼の絵の一つはオークションで百万ドル以上の値が付いた。One of his paintings fetched more than a million dollars at auction.This sentence demonstrates using オークション to describe an item fetching a high price at auction.Tatoeba #869881 by thyc244, translation #526878 by darinmex
- 私は美術品のオークションに参加したいです。I would like to participate in an art auction.
- 明日、不動産オークションが開催されます。Tomorrow, a real estate auction will be held.
- オンラインのオークションに参加した。Onrain no ookushon ni sanka shita.I participated in an online auction.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about a vintage camera.
- 蓮 Renこのカメラ、どこで買ったの？kono kamera, doko de katta no?Where did you buy this camera?
- 結衣 Yuiネットのオークションで落札したんだよ。netto no ōkushon de rakusatsu shitan da yo.I won it at an online auction.
- 蓮 Renすごいね。高くなかった？sugoi ne. takaku nakatta?That's great. Wasn't it expensive?
- 結衣 Yui意外と安く買えたよ。igaito yasuku kaeta yo.I actually got it surprisingly cheap.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “auction” translations and entries オークション, 競売, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
