Translation guide
This entry covers how to express the concept of an oversupply or surplus in Japanese, from formal economic terms to everyday expressions.
oversupply (economic)
too much supply
The state of having more of something than is needed or can be sold.
The standard term for oversupply in economic and business contexts. Literally 'supply excess'.
The market is in a state of oversupply.
Synonym of 供給過剰, also common in economic contexts.
Oversupply caused a drop in prices.
Means surplus or excess. Can be used for goods, labor, or budget. Broader than just supply.
The surplus of agricultural products is becoming a problem.
A somewhat colloquial noun meaning glut or oversupply, often used for goods or money.
Goods are glutting the market.
Expressing that there is more than enough of something in a general sense.
A simple pattern meaning 'there is too much ~'. Works for most nouns.
There has been too much rain lately.
This store has too much inventory.
Attach to a noun to mean 'excess of ~' or 'too much ~'. Often used in set phrases.
Means excess or too much. Often used in compounds like 供給過多 (oversupply) or 情報過多 (information overload).
These are interchangeable in most contexts. 供給過剰 is slightly more common in economic reports.
Oversupply is a problem.
Oversupply is a problem.
The katakana word オーバーサプライ is understood but sounds like English jargon. Use 供給過剰 for natural Japanese.
The oversupply of oil caused prices to crash.
There's an oversupply of graduates in this field.
Prices fell due to excess supply.
Oversupply continues.