Translation guide
A distributor is a person or company that supplies goods to stores or other businesses. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is 流通業者 (ryūtsū gyōsha) for a business, but the specific term depends on the industry and role.
A company or person that distributes products to retailers or other businesses.
General term for a distribution company or distributor in the supply chain.
その流通業者は全国に商品を配送している。
That distributor delivers products nationwide.
Wholesaler; often used interchangeably with distributor when the focus is on selling to retailers.
卸売業者から直接仕入れている。
We buy directly from the wholesaler/distributor.
Sales agent or authorized distributor, often used for exclusive regional distributors.
当社はこの地域の正規販売代理店です。
We are the authorized distributor for this region.
The device in a car engine that routes high-voltage electricity to the spark plugs.
Katakana loanword used in automotive contexts.
ディストリビューターの調子が悪い。
The distributor is acting up.
Technical Japanese term, less common than the katakana loanword.
A company that handles the release and distribution of movies to theaters or streaming platforms.
Standard term for a film distribution company.
その映画の配給会社は東宝です。
The distributor of that movie is Toho.
Explicitly 'movie distributor', used for clarity.
独立系の映画配給会社が増えている。
Independent film distributors are increasing.
A platform or company that distributes software or digital content.
Distribution platform, commonly used for digital content like apps, games, or streaming.
Steamは最大のゲーム配信プラットフォームだ。
Steam is the largest game distributor/platform.
Can also refer to a software reseller or distributor, especially in B2B contexts.
ソフトウェアの販売代理店を通じて購入した。
We purchased it through a software distributor.
流通業者 (ryūtsū gyōsha) is a broader term covering the entire distribution process, while 卸売業者 (oroshiuri gyōsha) specifically refers to wholesalers who sell to retailers. In many business contexts, they overlap, but 流通業者 is safer for 'distributor' in general supply chain discussions.
配電器の点検が必要です。
The distributor needs to be inspected.