Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 商品 | shōhin | [ɕo̞ːçĩɴ] (narrow) |
| 品物 | shinamonó | [ɕina̠mo̞no̞] (narrow) |
| 物品 | buppin | [bɯ̟p̚ʲpʲĩɴ] (narrow) |
| 品 | shina | [ɕina̠] (narrow) |
| 商材 | shōzai |
商品 is a general term for merchandise used in advertisements or commercial exchanges. 商材 is used specifically in marketing or e-commerce to refer to products or materials used for sales activities. 物品 refers to goods or articles in technical, legal, customs or logistical contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 商品 (shōhin) is composed of the characters for commerce/trade (商) and goods/article (品).
Which one should you use?
商品 is the standard term for merchandise in business, accounting and formal retail. In contrast, 物品 is a more technical or administrative term for articles or goods. 商材 is specialized for the marketing context, focusing on sales materials. The single character 品 (shina) means item or article. While it can be used as a counter or suffix, it is less common as a standalone noun for 'merchandise' in modern speech than the full words.
How do you pronounce it?
shōhin
Did you know?
- In Japan, the term 商品 is used even for things that are not physically for sale, such as a person's 'marketability' or 'value' as a candidate in a job search.
- The character 品 is used in the phrase 品格 (hinkaku) to refer to a person's 'dignity' or 'moral character' rather than a physical product.
- In modern Japanese pop culture, the word グッズ (guzzu) is used more often than 商品 when referring to 'merchandise' for anime, idols or games.
Examples in context
- 返品お断り。No merchandise can be returned.This sentence shows how to state that returns are not accepted using the form 品.Tatoeba #83338 by small_snow, translation #320377 by CM
- 誰かがその商品を盗むのを見たんです。I saw somebody steal the merchandise.This sentence is useful for describing an observation of someone stealing the form 商品.Tatoeba #155173 by bunbuku, translation #259366 by CK
- お取引の品目は何ですか？What kind of merchandise do you handle?
- 当社では様々な商品を取り扱っております。We handle various products at our company.
- この商品はとても人気があります。Kono shouhin wa totemo ninki ga arimasu.This merchandise is very popular.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are browsing at a store.
- 結衣 Yui蓮、この商品を見て。Ren, kono shōhin o mite.Ren, look at this merchandise.
- 蓮 Ren本当だ、かっこいいデザインだね。Hontō da, kakkoii dezain da ne.You're right, it's a cool design.
- 結衣 Yui値段はいくらくらいかな？Nedan wa ikura kurai kana?I wonder how much it costs.
- 蓮 Ren店員さんに聞いてみようか。Ten'in-san ni kiite miyō ka.Shall we ask the shop assistant?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “merchandise” translations and entries 商品, 品物, 物品, 品, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
