買収

• Reading: ばいしゅう
• Romaji: baishū
• Kanji breakdown: 買 (bai/ka) — buy; 収 (shū/osa) — collect, take in
• Pronunciation: /ba.i.ɕɯː/

Meaning

Acquisition; corporate takeover or buyout. Also: bribery or buying someone's cooperation or vote.

A multivalent する-verb (買収する) with two distinct meanings: (1) in corporate contexts, acquiring another company or its assets (企業買収, M&A); (2) in legal and political contexts, bribing or buying someone's cooperation (有権者買収). The corporate usage dominates in business media. 敵対的買収 (hostile takeover) and 友好的買収 (friendly takeover) are common subtypes.

Examples

1. 大手IT企業がスタートアップを10億円で買収した。 A major IT company acquired a startup for one billion yen.
2. 敵対的買収を防ぐために防衛策を講じた。 Defensive measures were put in place to ward off a hostile takeover.
3. 選挙で有権者を買収した疑いで議員が逮捕された。 A lawmaker was arrested on suspicion of bribing voters during the election.

Usage Guide

Context: corporate, M&A, legal, politics

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 買 (to buy) and 収 (to collect, take in). Literally 'buying and taking in' — acquiring something by purchase.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Business professionals

Social background: Corporate/Political