ビンゴ
[bʲĩŋɡo̞]
The English phrase "bingo" is translated into Japanese as ビンゴ.
ビンゴ is used to refer specifically to the game of bingo.
Meaning: game of chance (noun)
Which one should you use?
While ビンゴ refers to the actual game, other terms are used to express the feeling of a successful outcome. 大当たり (big hit/jackpot) is used to describe hitting a jackpot or a very successful outcome in general contexts such as gambling or luck. 大正解 (big correct answer) is used to express that someone's guess or answer was exactly right.
Related words
Did you know?
- Japanese ビンゴ cards are often used as 'ice-breaker' tools in classrooms where squares contain traits like 'has a dog' or 'can speak English' instead of numbers.
- If you want to shout 'Bingo!' when someone makes a perfect point during a discussion, using ビンゴ might sound slightly childish or overly playful to native speakers.
- While ビンゴ refers to the game, Japanese people often use the word 当たり (atari) to announce a winning number during the game, which literally means 'hit'.
Examples in context
- 夜はビンゴゲームをしました。In the evenings, we played bingo.This sentence is useful for describing playing a ビンゴ game in the evening.Tatoeba #11825738 by small_snow, translation #10846609 by ddnktr
- 彼女はビンゴをコールした。She called Bingo.
- ゴールデンビンゴ！Golden Bingo!
- 当たり！これでいい景品がもらえるよ！Hit! You can get a great prize with this!
- ビンゴで景品が当たった。bingo de keihin ga atatta.I won a prize in bingo.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are at a community party.
- 蓮 Ren次はビンゴがあるみたいだよ。Tsugi wa bingo ga aru mitai dayo.It looks like bingo is next.
- 美咲 Misaki本当？楽しみだね。Hontou? Tanoshimi dane.Really? I'm looking forward to it.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんはビンゴが得意？Misaki-san wa bingo ga tokui?Are you good at bingo, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misaki全然ダメだけど、頑張るよ。Zenzen dame dakedo, ganbaru yo.I'm not good at all, but I'll try my best.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bingo” translations and entries ビンゴ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
