売る
uru[ɯ̟ɾɯ̟]
The Japanese phrase for 'sells' is 売る (uru).
How does it change in a sentence?
The negative form meaning 'does not sell' is 売らない, while the past tense 'sold' is 売った. To express an ongoing action or state of selling, use the continuous form 売っている. In polite contexts, the form 売ります is used, which has its own polite negative form 売りません and its own polite past tense 売りました.
Did you know?
- In the context of entertainment, 売れている (the continuous form of 売る) is used to describe a celebrity who is popular or 'in demand', regardless of whether they are literally selling a physical product.
- While 売る means 'to sell', the word 売る can also be used metaphorically to mean 'betraying' someone, such as selling out a friend to an enemy.
- The word 売る is linked to the Old Japanese word 得る, meaning 'to obtain' or 'to get'. This suggests that, historically, the act of selling was viewed through the lens of the merchant successfully obtaining something.
Examples in context
- 彼は果物を売る。He sells fruit.This sentence is useful for describing someone who sells fruit using 売る.Tatoeba #6037346 by atmarksharp, translation #434998 by lukaszpp
- 彼女は食べ物を売る。She sells food.This sentence is useful for describing someone who sells food using 売る.Tatoeba #5705476 by xylopoppo, translation #5705475 by xylopoppo
- トムは年間約300台もの車を売ると私に教えてくれた。Tom told me that he sells about 300 cars a year.This sentence is useful for reporting what someone said about how many cars they sell using 売る.Tatoeba #9840927 by MsFixer, translation #7214725 by CK
- 私たちの会社は高品質な製品を売ります。Our company sells high-quality products.
- その店は幅広い商品を売ります。The store sells a wide range of merchandise.
- オンラインで手作りのクラフトを売るよ。I sell handmade crafts online.
- 彼らはコンサートのチケットを売るんだ。They sell tickets for the concert.
- 彼女はフリーマーケットでヴィンテージの洋服を売るわ。She sells vintage clothes at the flea market.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about a local market.
- 蓮 Renあの市場は何を売るの？Ano ichiba wa nani o uru no?What does that market sell?
- 結衣 Yui蓮さん、あそこでは地元の野菜を売るよ。Ren-san, asoko de wa jimoto no yasai o uru yo.Ren, they sell local vegetables there.
- 蓮 Ren果物も売るのかな？Kudamono mo uru no kana?I wonder if they sell fruit too?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、果物も売るみたいだよ。Un, kudamono mo uru mitai da yo.Yeah, it looks like they sell fruit too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 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.
