What does “uru” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “uru” to mean ‘to sell’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “uru” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “uru”
- Uranai: the nai form of “uru”
- Urou: the volitional form of “uru”
- Urimasu: the masu form of “uru”
- Utta: the ta form of “uru”
- Utte: the te form of “uru”
- Ureba: the ba form of “uru”
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “uru”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “uru”.
- uru – 売る (うる) : a verb meaning ‘to sell’ in Japanese.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “sell” in Japanese
kono mise wa tokidoki oishii momo wo uru – この店は時々美味しい桃を売る (このみせはときどきおいしいももをうる)
This shop sometimes sells delicious peaches.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “mise” to say “this shop” in Japanese.
- mise – 店 (みせ) : a noun meaning ‘shop’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kono mise” to make the subject in the sentence.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- oishii – 美味しい (おいしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘delicious’ in Japanese.
- momo – 桃 (もも) : a noun meaning ‘peach’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “momo” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “uru”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to sell’ in Japanese, this verb is a very good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “uru”. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “uranai”.
Uranai: the nai form of “uru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “uranai”.
- uranai – 売らない (うらない) : the nai form of “uru”, which means ‘not to sell’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “uranai” consists of the following two parts:
- ura – 売ら (うら) : one conjugation of “uru”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “uranai” is literally the nai form of “uru” and means ‘not to sell’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this nai form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “doesn’t sell” in Japanese
boku tachi no mise wa momo wo uranai – 僕達の店は桃を売らない (ぼくたちのみせはももをうらない)
Our shop doesn’t sell peaches.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku tachi” to make its possessive case, “boku tachi no”, which means ‘our’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “uranai”. When we want to mean ‘not to sell’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Urou: the volitional form of “uru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “urou”.
- urou – 売ろう (うろう) : the volitional form of “uru”, which expresses volition to sell.
Grammatically, “urou” consists of the following two parts:
- uro – 売ろ (うろ) : one conjugation of “uru”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “urou” is literally the volitional form of “uru” and expresses volition to sell. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s sell” in Japanese
kimi no kuruma wo urou – 君の車を売ろう (きみのくるまをうろう)
Let’s sell your car!
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kimi – 君 (きみ) : a pronoun meaning ‘you’ in Japanese. In the example, this works together with “no” to become the possessive case, “kimi no”, which means ‘your’ in Japanese.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “urou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s sell” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Urimasu: the masu form of “uru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “urimasu”.
- urimasu – 売ります (うります) : the masu form of “uru”, which means ‘to sell’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “urimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- uri – 売り (うり) : one conjugation of “uru”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “urimasu” is literally the masu form of “uru” and means ‘to sell’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “sell” politely in Japanese
karera wa ringo wo urimasu – 彼等は林檎を売ります (かれらはりんごをうります)
They sell apples.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- karera – 彼等 (かれら) : a pronoun meaning ‘they’ in Japanese.
- ringo – 林檎 (りんご) : a noun meaning ‘apple’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “urimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “sell” politely in Japanese, anyway, this form is a very good option.
Utta: the ta form of “uru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “utta”.
- utta – 売った (うった) : the ta form of “uru”, which means ‘sold’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “utta” consists of the following two parts:
- ut – 売っ (うっ) : one conjugation of “uru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “utta” is literally the ta form of “uru” and means ‘sold’ in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “sold” in Japanese
boku no kazoku wa ie wo utta – 僕の家族は家を売った (ぼくのかぞくはいえをうった)
My family sold the house.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kazoku – 家族 (かぞく) : a noun meaning ‘family’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- ie – 家 (いえ) : a noun meaning ‘house’ or ‘home’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “utta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “uru”, this ta form is the best option.
Utte: the te form of “uru”
Below are the definition and meaning of “utte”.
- utte – 売って (うって) : the te form of “uru”, which means ‘to sell’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “utte” consists of the following two parts:
- ut -売っ (うっ) : one conjugation of “uru”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “utte” is literally the te form of “uru”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make a parallel expression in a sentence. So, “utte” is very useful when we want to introduce a parallelism into a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to sell’. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to make a parallel expression with “utte”
kanojo wa hana wo utte okane wo kasegu – 彼女は花を売ってお金を稼ぐ (かのじょははなをうっておかねをかせぐ)
She sells flowers and makes money.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- hana – 花 (はな) : a noun meaning ‘flower’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- okane – お金 (おかね) : a noun meaning ‘money’ in Japanese.
- kasegu – 稼ぐ (かせぐ) : a verb meaning ‘to earn’, ‘to make (money)’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “utte”. In this example, it works as a part of the phrase, “hana wo utte”, which make the parallel expression with “okane wo kasegu”. When we want to make a parallel expression like this, this te form is very useful.
Ureba: the ba form of “uru”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meaning of “ureba”.
- ureba – 売れば (うれば) : the ba form of “uru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to sell’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “ureba” consists of the following two parts:
- ure – 売れ (うれ) : one conjugation of “uru”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “ureba” is literally the ba form of “uru”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “ureba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to sell’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if sell” in Japanese
kuruma wo ureba, okane ni naru yo – 車を売れば、お金になるよ (くるまをうれば、おかねになるよ)
If you sell your car, you can make some money.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after “okane” to indicate what the car becomes after the action.
- naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or ‘to be’ in Japanese.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the example sentence to state the speaker’s idea softly.
This is a typical usage of “ureba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kuruma wo ureba”, which means ‘if you sell your car’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to sell’, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “uru” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- uru – 売る (うる) : a verb meaning ‘to sell’ in Japanese.
- uranai – 売らない (うらない) : the nai form of “uru”, which means ‘not to sell’ in Japanese.
- urou – 売ろう (うろう) : the volitional form of “uru”, which expresses volition to sell.
- urimasu – 売ります (うります) : the masu form of “uru”, which means ‘to sell’ politely in Japanese.
- utta – 売った (うった) : the ta form of “uru”, which means ‘sold’ in Japanese.
- utte – 売って (うって) : the te form of “uru”, which means ‘to sell’ in Japanese. When we want to make a parallel expression, this te form is very useful.
- ureba – 売れば (うれば) : the ba form of “uru”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with meaning ‘to sell’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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