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問屋 (とんや) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

問とん屋や

also: といや

と

ん

や

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

wholesaler; wholesale store

A business that buys goods in bulk from manufacturers and sells them to retailers, not directly to consumers.

この商しょう品ひんは問とん屋やから直ちょく接せつ仕し入いれています。
We source this product directly from a wholesaler.
祖そ父ふは長なが年ねん、繊

せん

維い

問とん

屋や

を

営いとな

ん

で

い

た

。

My grandfather ran a textile wholesale business for many years.

Written forms

問屋Usage100%
- とんや
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading とんや is the most common.
- といや
  Alternate reading, less common than とんや.
といや

Kanji

問question, ask, problem
屋roof, house, shop

Similar words

小こ売うり店てん
小売店 is a retail store that sells directly to consumers, while 問屋 is a wholesaler that supplies retailers.
卸おろし売うり業ぎょう者しゃ
卸売業者 is a more formal term for a wholesaler; 問屋 is the common, everyday word.

Etymology

Composed of 問 (to ask, inquire) and 屋 (shop, dealer). Historically, 問屋 referred to an agent who handled inquiries and transactions for goods, evolving into the modern meaning of a wholesaler.