1.
business rival; trade competitor; commercial rival
A person or business that competes directly in the same trade or market. Carries a sense of personal rivalry, not just impersonal market competition.
あの店はうちの商売仇だ。
That shop is our business rival.
商売仇の動向には常に注意している。
I always keep an eye on the activities of our business rivals.
商売仇だった二人が協力して新しい事業を始めた。
The two, who had been business rivals, joined forces to start a new venture.
A compound of 商売 (business, trade) and 仇 (rival, enemy). The word has a personal, somewhat old-fashioned flavor — it implies not just competition but a sense of rivalry between specific people or shops in the same trade.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 商売仇になる: to become business rivals
- 商売仇を意識する: to be conscious of one's business rival
- 商売仇の店: a rival shop
- 商売仇に負けない: to not lose to one's business rival
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 競合: competitor, competing — a modern, neutral business term for market competition; 商売仇 is more personal and vivid
- ライバル: rival — the English loanword, used broadly in sports, business, and personal contexts
- 競争相手: competitor — a neutral term for any competitor; lacks the personal edge of 商売仇
REGISTER:
Somewhat old-fashioned and literary. Evokes the image of traditional shopkeepers or small business owners competing on the same street. In modern corporate contexts, 競合 or 競争相手 is more common.