ボール
bōru[bo̞ːɾɯ̟]
The English word ball is translated into Japanese as ボール (bōru). Wiktionary also lists まり (mari) and 鞠 (mari).
Meaning: object, generally spherical, used for playing games (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ボール | bōru | [bo̞ːɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
| まり | mari | |
| 鞠 | mari | |
| 毬 | mari | |
| 球 | tama | [kʲɨː] (narrow) [ta̠ma̠] (narrow) |
The term ボール is used to refer to an object, generally spherical, used for playing games. In the context of modern sports, ボール is the most common way to refer to the object being played with.
Which one should you use?
While ボール is a loanword from English used for modern sports equipment, まり (also written as 鞠 or 毬) specifically refers to traditional Japanese decorative balls, which are often brightly colored and used as ornaments or in traditional games.
How do you pronounce it?
bōru
Did you know?
- The term まり is also an ancient clipping of 余り, which was used in Old Japanese to join numerals, such as in the word for 'eleven'.
- The word 球 can be used to describe a 'ball' in sports, but it also refers to celestial bodies like planets and stars.
- The traditional まり was historically made from silk thread wrapped tightly around a core and then dyed, creating a complex, shimmering pattern.
Examples in context
- ボールは丸い。The ball is round.This sentence shows how to describe the shape of the ボール.Tatoeba #196476 by bunbuku, translation #8345850 by Cxom
- ボール、パス！Pass the ball!This sentence is a way to call for a pass with the ボール.Tatoeba #10006492 by small_snow, translation #6575889 by Eccles17
- ボールを渡して。Give me the ball.This sentence is a way to ask someone to hand you the ボール.Tatoeba #8937784 by lowteq, translation #1841172 by CK
- Watashi wa booru ga suki desu. (私はボールが好きです。)I like balls (referring to sports balls).
- 92 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are at the park playing with a toy.
- 健太 Kentaこのボールは、とても柔らかいね。Kono bōru wa, totemo yawarakai ne.This ball is very soft, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、とても遊びやすいよ。Un, totemo asobiyasui yo.Yeah, it's very easy to play with.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵、そのボールを投げて！Himari, sono bōru o nagete!Himari, throw that ball!
- 陽葵 Himariはい、健太、ほら！Hai, Kenta, hora!Okay, Kenta, here!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ball” translations and entries ボール, まり, 鞠, 毬, 球, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries まり, ボール, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
