野球
yakyū[ja̠kʲɨː]
In Japanese, baseball is 野球 (yakyū). Wiktionary also lists ベースボール (bēsubōru).
Meaning: ball game (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 野球 | yakyū | [ja̠kʲɨː] (narrow) |
| ベースボール | bēsubōru | [be̞ːsɨbo̞ːɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
The term refers to the ball game. While 野球 is the standard way to discuss the sport, the loanword ベースボール is most commonly used in the names of specific brands, products or certain stylized contexts rather than in general conversation.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 野球 is composed of two kanji: 野, which means field or plain and 球, which means ball.
Which one should you use?
野球 is the standard Japanese word for the sport, whereas ベースボール is a katakana loanword from English.
How do you pronounce it?
yakyū
When do people say it?
In Japanese schools, the baseball club is typically referred to as 野球部 (yakyū-bu).
Did you know?
- High school baseball in Japan is so culturally significant that the national tournament is a massive media event, often treated with more reverence than professional 野球.
- The term 野球 is not an ancient Japanese word, but was actually invented in 1894 by a man named Kanae Chūman to translate the English concept of 'baseball' into Japanese.
- In Japanese, the word for 'Earth', 地球, uses the exact same character for 'ball' or 'sphere' that is found in the word for 'baseball', 野球.
Examples in context
- 野球は得意？Are you good at baseball?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is good at 野球.Tatoeba #8776596 by bunbuku, translation #6269873 by CK
- 野球をしたい。I want to play baseball.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to play 野球.Tatoeba #12056103 by xyz_13, translation #8845383 by CK
- 野球部員ですか？Do you belong to the baseball club?This sentence is useful for asking if someone belongs to a baseball club using 野球.Tatoeba #176844 by KK_kaku_, translation #237617 by CK
- ランニングホームランInside-the-park home run
- ダイヤモンドBaseball diamond
- 182 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Himeki and Ren are talking about their hobbies.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さんは、スポーツが好きですか？Ren-san wa, supōtsu ga suki desu ka?Ren, do you like sports?
- 蓮 Renはい。特に野球が大好きです。Hai. Tokuni yakyū ga daisuki desu.Yes. I especially love baseball.
- 陽葵 Himariいいですね。よく試合を見に行きますか？Ii desu ne. Yoku shiai o mi ni ikimasu ka?That's nice. Do you often go to see games?
- 蓮 Renたまに友達と球場へ行きます。Tamani tomodachi to kyūjō e ikimasu.I occasionally go to the stadium with friends.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baseball” translations and entries 野球, ベースボール, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ベースボール, 野球, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
