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売り言葉に買い言葉 (urikotobanikaikotoba) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

売うり言こと葉ばに買かい言こと葉ば

う

り

こ

と

ば

に

か

い

こ

と

ば

Meanings

1

expression, noun

tit for tat; verbal retaliation

Describes a situation where one person's harsh words provoke an equally harsh reply, often escalating a quarrel. Used as a set expression.

あの喧けん嘩かは売うり言こと葉ばに買かい言

こと

葉ば

で

始はじ

まっ

た

。

That fight started with one harsh word leading to another.

売うり言こと葉ばに買かい言こと葉ばで、つい言いい過すぎてしまった。

It was tit for tat, and I ended up saying too much.

Kanji

売sell
言say, word
葉leaf, plane, lobe
買buy

Related words

目めには目めを
A broader 'eye for an eye' principle of retaliation, not limited to words.
竹ちく馬ばの友とも
An unrelated idiom about childhood friends; included here only to contrast with the verbal-exchange nature of 売り言葉に買い言葉.

Built from

売うり言こと葉ば+買かい言こと葉ば

Etymology

A set phrase combining 売り言葉 (provoking words, literally 'selling words') and 買い言葉 (retorting words, literally 'buying words'), reflecting the idea of a verbal exchange where one 'sells' a harsh remark and the other 'buys' it with a retort.