Translation guide
The English word "market" covers several distinct concepts in Japanese. The most common translations depend on whether you mean a physical marketplace, the economic market, or marketing activities.
A place where goods are bought and sold, often outdoors or in a specific area.
Refers to a physical marketplace, often for fresh food or local goods. Common in everyday speech.
朝市に行って新鮮な野菜を買った。
I went to the morning market and bought fresh vegetables.
この市場は毎週日曜日に開かれる。
This market is held every Sunday.
Loanword from English, often used for modern or Western-style markets, like farmers' markets or flea markets.
週末にファーマーズマーケットへ行こう。
Let's go to the farmers' market this weekend.
Often used in compound words for specific types of markets, like 朝市 (morning market) or 蚤の市 (flea market).
蚤の市で古いカメラを見つけた。
I found an old camera at the flea market.
The system or arena of commercial activity, such as the stock market or housing market.
Used for abstract economic markets. Note the reading is different from the physical marketplace (いちば).
株式市場が大きく変動した。
The stock market fluctuated greatly.
日本の住宅市場は今、活発だ。
The Japanese housing market is active now.
Also used for abstract markets, especially in business contexts. Often interchangeable with 市場 (しじょう).
Refers specifically to market prices or rates, such as exchange rates or commodity prices.
The act of promoting and selling products or services.
General term for selling or marketing products. Often used in business contexts.
新製品の販売戦略を考えている。
We are thinking about the marketing strategy for the new product.
Verb meaning to market or push a product aggressively.
A particular group of potential customers.
Can also mean a target market or segment, e.g., youth market.
若者市場を狙った商品だ。
This product targets the youth market.
Used similarly to 市場 for market segments.
Literally 'demand layer', used in formal business analysis for market segments.
この製品の主な需要層は30代の女性です。
The main market for this product is women in their 30s.
市場 can be read as いちば or しじょう. Use いちば for physical marketplaces (like a fish market) and しじょう for abstract economic markets (like the stock market). Mixing them up can cause confusion.
魚市場で買い物をした。
I shopped at the fish market.
金融市場が不安定だ。
The financial market is unstable.
While マーケット is widely understood, it can sound overly casual or business-jargon in formal writing. Stick to 市場 (しじょう) for economic reports or news.
新興マーケットへの投資はリスクが高い。
Investing in emerging markets is high risk.
Today's exchange rate market shows a strong yen.
Loanword specifically for the concept of marketing as a business function.
彼はマーケティングの専門家だ。
He is a marketing expert.
新商品を売り込むために広告を出した。
We advertised to market the new product.
The senior market is expanding.