How to Say "Secondhand" in Japanese

中古

chūko[t͡ɕɨːko̞]

The English phrase secondhand is expressed in Japanese as 中古 (chūko). Wiktionary also lists セコハン (sekohan) and セカンドハンド (sekandohando).

Meaning: not new, previously owned and used by another (adj)

Ways to say it

“secondhand” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
中古	chūko	[t͡ɕɨːko̞] (narrow) [t͡ɕɨːbɯ̟ɾɯ̟] (narrow)
セコハン	sekohan	[se̞ko̞hã̠ɴ] (narrow)
セカンドハンド	sekandohando

The term refers to items that are not new and have been previously owned and used by another.

When using 中古 as an adjective to modify a noun, it is most commonly used with the particle の, as in 中古の車 (a secondhand car).

chūko

Japan has a specialized legal license called the 古物商 (kobutsushō) that individuals must obtain to legally sell secondhand goods for profit.
While 中古 describes used items, the phrase もったいない (mottainai) reflects the underlying cultural philosophy of avoiding waste that fuels Japan's vast secondhand market.
The term セコハン is a 'portmanteau' created by shortening the English words 'second hand' into a four-syllable Japanese phonetic structure.

トムはその中古車を買わないようにアドバイスした。
Tom advised him not to buy the secondhand car.
This sentence shows how to use 中古 to describe a car.
Tatoeba #10645796 by bunbuku, translation #37042 by CK
セコハンの家具
Secondhand furniture
This phrase demonstrates the use of セコハン to describe furniture.
Wiktionary
中古のカメラはとても状態がいいです。
chūko no kamera wa totemo jōtai ga ii desu.
The secondhand camera is in very good condition.

Yui and Hiroto are looking at electronics in a shop.

結衣 Yui

これ、中古のノートパソコンですか？
kore, chūko no nōto pasokon desu ka?
Is this a secondhand laptop?
大翔 Hiroto

はい、中古ですが保証がありますよ。
hai, chūko desu ga hoshō ga arimasu yo.
Yes, it is secondhand, but it comes with a warranty.
結衣 Yui

大翔さん、これなら買えるかも。
Hiroto-san, kore nara kaeru kamo.
Hiroto, I might be able to afford this one.
大翔 Hiroto

そうだね。すごく安いよ。
sō da ne. sugoku yasui yo.
That's true. It's very cheap.

Sources

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