売る
uru[ɯ̟ɾɯ̟]
The Japanese verb for 'sell' is 売る (uru).
売る is the most common and general verb used to express the act of transferring goods or providing services in exchange for payment. As a transitive verb, it requires a direct object, which is the item being sold.
Meaning: to agree to transfer goods or provide services for payment (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes depending on the tense and politeness level: the past tense is 売った, the negative form is 売らない and the polite form is 売ります.
How do you pronounce it?
uru
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific expression 売り飛ばす that describes selling something off quickly and carelessly, often implying the seller is desperate or reckless.
- The verb 売る is likely related to the verb 得る, which means 'to obtain' or 'to get'. This suggests that in early Japanese, the focus of selling was on the money the seller received rather than the item being given away.
- In Japanese, you might hear the word 売り込み (urikomi), which literally means 'selling into'. While it relates to 'selling', it is commonly used in business to mean 'sales pitch' or 'aggressive marketing'.
Examples in context
- 売ることにしたんだ。We decided to sell it.This sentence shows how to express a decision to use 売る.Tatoeba #11831405 by small_snow, translation #10097614 by ddnktr
- 車を売るつもりなんだ。We're going to sell our car.This sentence demonstrates using 売る to express an intention to sell something.Tatoeba #12412251 by bunbuku, translation #10030522 by CK
- 私は家を売るつもりです。I'm going to sell my house.This sentence shows the polite way to express an intention to use 売る.Tatoeba #158021 by bunbuku, translation #256509 by adjusting
- 私の会社は製品を世界中に売っています。My company sells products all over the world.
- その会社は最新のテクノロジーを販売しています。That company sells the latest technology.
- もう使わないから、この古いテレビを安く売り払いたいんだ。I don't use it anymore, so I want to sell this old TV at a lower price.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are talking about an old guitar.
- 陽太 Yotaこのギター、もう使わないから売るよ。Kono gitaa, mou tsukawanai kara uru yo.I'm going to sell this guitar because I don't use it anymore.
- 結衣 Yuiいい考えだね。どこで売るの？Ii kangae dane. Doko de uru no?That's a good idea. Where will you sell it?
- 陽太 Yotaネットのショップで売ってみるよ。Netto no shoppu de utte miru yo.I'll try selling it at an online shop.
- 結衣 Yui高く売れるといいね、陽太くん。Takaku ureru to ii ne, Yota-kun.I hope you can sell it for a high price, Yota.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sell” translations and entries 売る, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 売る, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
