商しょう人にん

also: あきんど · あきうど · あきゅうど · あきびと

しょ

う

に

ん

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

noun

merchant; trader; shopkeeper

General term for a person who buys and sells goods for profit. Can refer to a small shopkeeper or a large-scale trader.

彼かれの父ちち親おやは商しょう人にんで、小ちいさな店みせを営いとなんでいる。
His father is a merchant and runs a small shop.
中ちゅう世せいの商しょう人にんたちは遠とおくまで交こう易えきに出でかけた。
Medieval merchants traveled far for trade.

Written forms

商人Usage99%
- しょうにん
  Standard modern reading and spelling.
- あきんど
  Historical reading, now uncommon; may appear in period works or traditional contexts.
- あきうど
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.
- あきゅうど
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.
- あきびと
  out-dated reading
  Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.
あきんどUsage<1%
あきびとUsage<1%
out-dated reading
あきうど
out-dated reading
あきゅうど
out-dated reading

Kanji

商make a deal, selling, dealing in
人person

Similar words

商しょう売ばい人にん
More colloquial and often implies a shrewd or street-smart businessperson, while 商人 is a neutral, formal term.
貿ぼう易えき商しょう
Specifically a trader engaged in international trade, whereas 商人 is a broader term for any merchant.

Etymology

Compound of 商 (commerce, trade) and 人 (person). The reading しょうにん is the standard Sino-Japanese on'yomi. The alternative readings あきんど, あきうど, etc., are older native Japanese readings that have fallen out of use.