商売仇(しょうばいがたき)

A compound of 商売(しょうばい) (business, trade) and 仇(がたき) (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(しょうばいがたき)になる: to become business rivals
• 商売仇(しょうばいがたき)を意識(いしき)する: to be conscious of one's business rival
• 商売仇(しょうばいがたき)の店(みせ): a rival shop
• 商売仇(しょうばいがたき)に負(ま)けない: to not lose to one's business rival

Similar words

• 競合(きょうごう): competitor, competing — a modern, neutral business term for market competition; 商売仇(しょうばいがたき) 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(きょうそうあいて): competitor — a neutral term for any competitor; lacks the personal edge of 商売仇(しょうばいがたき)

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(きょうごう) or 競争相手(きょうそうあいて) is more common.