切きり売うり

き

り

う

り

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

selling by the piece; selling in small portions

Refers to selling goods in individual units or small amounts rather than in bulk or as a set. Often used for food items like cakes or fabric.

このケーキは切きり売うりしています。
This cake is sold by the slice.
布ぬのを切きり売うりで買かう。
I buy fabric by the piece.

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

selling bit by bit; peddling (one's skills, knowledge, etc.)

Metaphorical extension: offering one's expertise, time, or talents in small, often undervalued, increments. Can carry a slightly negative nuance of cheapening one's abilities.

彼かれは自じ分ぶんの知ち識しきを切きり売うりして生せい計けいを立たてている。
He makes a living by peddling his knowledge bit by bit.
才さい能のうを切きり売うりするような仕し事ごとはしたくない。
I don't want a job where I have to sell my talents piecemeal.

Written forms

切きり売うりUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
切きり売うりUsage2%
Variant kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.

Kanji

切cut, cutoff, be sharp
売sell

Similar words

ばら売うり
ばら売り also means selling individually, but emphasizes loose, unpackaged items (e.g., single candies from a jar), while 切り売り often implies cutting or dividing a larger whole.
量はかり売うり
量り売り means selling by weight, whereas 切り売り focuses on selling by the piece or portion, not necessarily by weight.

Etymology

Compound of 切り (kiri, 'cutting') + 売り (uri, 'selling'). The literal meaning of selling cut pieces gave rise to the figurative sense of selling something intangible in small amounts.