Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "売ります" vs "きのう"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
売ります
うります (urimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
きのう
きのう (kinou)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 売ります and きのう are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
売ります (うります (urimasu)) represents "to sell" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 売る.
On the other hand, きのう (きのう (kinou)) translates to "yesterday" (Level: N5) and is used for Refers to the day before today. Can also be written as 昨日. Often used with past tense verbs.. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "売ります"
この店は古い本を売っています。
This store sells old books.
Bilingual Sentence for "きのう"
きのう、映画を見ました。
I watched a movie yesterday.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "この店は古い本を売っています。" (Meaning: "This store sells old books.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "売ります" fits here because it represents "to sell" in the context: "This store sells old books.".