Translation and Meaning of: 売上 - uriage

If you have ever worked in sales in Japan or are studying Japanese for business, you have definitely come across the word 売上 (うりあげ). It is essential for understanding financial reports, store metrics, and even everyday conversations in companies. In this article, we will thoroughly explore the meaning, origin, usage, and even tips to memorize this important term. Furthermore, you will discover how the kanji 売 relates to the act of selling and why this word is so common in commercial contexts. Here at Suki Nihongo, you will also find practical examples and ready-made sentences to add to your Anki and boost your studies!

The meaning and use of 売上

The word 売上 (うりあげ) is composed of the kanjis 売 (to sell) and 上 (above, to rise), forming the concept of "sales amount" or "revenue." It is widely used in financial reports, spreadsheets, and discussions about business performance. If you have seen a graph with the line of 売上高 (うりあげだか), you know that it shows the sales volume of a company in a given period.

In everyday life, it is common to hear phrases like 今月の売上はどうですか？ ("How are the sales this month?"), especially in team meetings. Restaurants, retail stores, and even freelancers use this metric to evaluate their performance. Interestingly, in some informal contexts, people shorten it to ウリあげ in messages or quick notes, but kanji still dominates official documents.

The origin and etymology of 売上

The kanji 売 has an interesting history: its ancient pictogram represented a hand (又) delivering something in exchange for coins (貝), symbolizing a commercial transaction. As many know, 上 indicates growth or elevation. When combined, these ideograms create the idea of "what was sold increased," meaning the accumulated amount of sales. It’s no wonder that this word is so prevalent in the business world!

It is worth noting that 売上 does not refer to profit (利益), but rather to gross revenue. In English, the closest translation would be "sales revenue". If you have studied accounting, you might think of it as the top of the income statement, before deducting costs and expenses. This distinction is crucial to avoid confusion in corporate reports.

Tips for memorizing and using 売上

An effective way to memorize this word is to associate the kanji 売 with everyday situations. Imagine the store owner looking up (上) happily because his sales are increasing! If you work with Excel, how about creating a spreadsheet titled Monthly Sales Table? Practical repetition in real contexts helps much more than just memorizing.

Another tip is to pay attention to frequent combinations, such as 売上目標 (sales target) or 売上報告 (sales report). Many students make the mistake of translating it literally as "sell above," but now you know that the meaning goes beyond that. How about challenging yourself to write three sentences using 売上 today? Applying vocabulary is the best way to make it part of your active Japanese.

Vocabulary

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Synonyms and similar words

売り上げ (Uriage) - Total sales made.
売り上がり (Uriagari) - Sales results, especially in terms of inventory increase.
売上高 (Uriage-daka) - Total sales value, emphasizing the amount of money.
売り上げ高 (Uriage-daka) - Uma expressão sinônima para 売上高 que tenha o mesmo significado é "receita".
売り上げ金額 (Uriage kingaku) - Amount of money acquired from sales.