Translation guide
A person or company that buys goods in large quantities from producers and sells them to retailers, rather than to the general public.
wholesaler (traditional/smaller scale)
Common, slightly less formal.
The most common meaning: a company or person in the distribution chain between manufacturers and retail stores.
Standard formal term for a wholesaler as a business entity. Used in business and official contexts.
Common everyday term for a wholesaler, often used in traditional or smaller-scale contexts. Slightly less formal than 卸売業者.
Another variant with different okurigana; seen occasionally but not preferred.
Referring to an individual whose job is wholesaling.
The activity or industry of wholesaling.
卸売業者 is the formal, modern term for any wholesaler. 問屋 is more traditional and often implies a smaller, specialized wholesaler, especially in industries like food or textiles. In casual speech, 問屋さん is friendly.
That wholesaler always delivers fresh vegetables.
卸 (おろし) is a prefix meaning 'wholesale', used in compounds like 卸値 (wholesale price) or 卸売市場 (wholesale market). It cannot stand alone to mean 'wholesaler'.
That wholesaler supplies products to retail stores nationwide.
この商店街には古くからの問屋がたくさんある。
There are many long-established wholesalers in this shopping district.
Variant of 卸売業者 with the okurigana り, slightly less common but still correct.
He succeeded as a food wholesaler.
That company is a major wholesaler.
It's cheaper to order directly from the wholesaler.
Wholesale prices are much cheaper than retail.