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.
I went to the morning market and bought fresh vegetables.
This market is held every Sunday.
Loanword from English, often used for modern or Western-style markets, like farmers' markets or flea markets.
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).
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).
The stock market fluctuated greatly.
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.
We are thinking about the marketing strategy for the new product.
Loanword specifically for the concept of marketing as a business function.
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.
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.
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.
I shopped at the fish market.
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.
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.
高齢者マーケットは拡大している。
The senior market is expanding.
The main market for this product is women in their 30s.