Translation guide
How to express the idea of 'selling out' in Japanese, covering commercial sell-outs, betraying principles, and revealing secrets.
To say that a product, tickets, or stock is completely sold.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to be sold out'. Used when the subject is the product itself.
Those tickets are already sold out.
The new product sold out immediately.
Noun meaning 'sold out'. Often used on signs or in announcements.
This item is sold out.
Noun/suru-verb meaning 'sold out', often used for tickets or limited items. Slightly more formal than 売り切れ.
The concert tickets are sold out.
To describe someone who compromises their values, integrity, or artistic vision for money or success.
Literally 'to sell one's soul'. A strong metaphor for completely abandoning one's principles.
He sold his soul for success.
To bend or compromise one's beliefs. Less dramatic than 'selling one's soul'.
He compromised his principles for money.
To compromise. A general term that can imply selling out in a less intense way.
He compromised with commercialism.
To betray. Can be used for selling out one's ideals, but is a broader term for betrayal.
To say that someone has disclosed confidential information or betrayed a person to authorities.
To inform on someone, to rat someone out. Implies reporting to authorities.
He sold out his friends to the police.
To betray. Can be used for selling out a person by revealing secrets.
Literally 'to sell'. In slang, can mean to betray or sell out someone, as in 友達を売る (sell out a friend).
Directly translating 'sell out' as 売り出す (to put on sale) or 売却する (to sell off) does not convey the meaning of betraying principles or revealing secrets. Use context-appropriate expressions.
He betrayed his own ideals.
He sold me out and revealed my secret.
That guy sold me out.