曲棍球
qūgùnqiú
The English word hockey is translated into Chinese as 曲棍球 (qūgùnqiú) or 冰球.
Meaning: the sport (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 曲棍球 | qūgùnqiú |
| 冰球 | bīngqiú |
The term for hockey in Chinese depends on whether you are referring to the sport played on ice or the sport played on a field.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 曲棍球 (qūgùnqiú) is composed of 曲 (curved), 棍 (stick) and 球 (ball/sphere), meaning curved stick ball. The term 冰球 (bīngqiú) is composed of 冰 (ice) and 球 (ball/sphere), meaning ice ball.
Which one should you use?
曲棍球 (qūgùnqiú) is often used to refer specifically to field hockey, while 冰球 (bīngqiú) specifically refers to ice hockey.
How do you pronounce it?
qūgùnqiú
Did you know?
- The character 棍 in 曲棍球 can also mean 'club' or 'staff' and is used in the names of various traditional Chinese martial arts weapons.
- Because 冰球 literally means 'ice ball', a Chinese speaker might initially be confused if you use the term to describe a 'puck', which is a disc rather than a sphere.
- The word for hockey, 曲棍 (qūgùn), contains the character 曲 (qū), which also means 'song' or 'melody' in musical contexts.
Examples in context
- 汤姆喜欢曲棍球。Tom loves hockey.This sentence is useful for expressing a person's preference for the sport using 曲棍球.Tatoeba #9969095 by GlossaMatik, translation #4500893 by CK
- 曲棍球在中国不是很流行。Field hockey is not very popular in China.This sentence is useful for noting the popularity of field hockey in China using 曲棍球.Tatoeba #2250635 by GlossaMatik, translation #2250636 by FeuDRenais
- 冰球的球不是球形的。The puck of ice hockey is not spherical.This sentence is useful for describing a characteristic of the puck in ice hockey using 冰球.Tatoeba #923361 by Tximist, translation #923363 by Tximist
- 冰球是一项受欢迎的运动，需要良好的技巧和团队合作。Hockey is a popular sport that requires good skills and teamwork.
- 他在校队打曲棍球已经三年了。He has been playing field hockey for three years on the school team.
- 比赛中，他参加了冰上曲棍球和冰舞两个项目。In the competition, he participated in both ice hockey and ice dancing.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing sports hobbies.
- 浩然 Haoran梓涵，你喜欢曲棍球吗？Zǐhán, nǐ xǐhuān qǔgùnqiú ma?Zihan, do you like hockey?
- 梓涵 Zihan我不太了解曲棍球。Wǒ bù tài liǎojiě qǔgùnqiú.I don't know much about hockey.
- 浩然 Haoran这是一项非常有挑战性的运动。Zhè shì yī xiàng fēicháng yǒu tiǎozhàn xìng de yùndòng.It is a very challenging sport.
- 梓涵 Zihan听起来很有意思，我想尝试一下。Tīng qǐlái hěn yǒu yìsi, wǒ xiǎng chángshì yīxià.That sounds interesting, I want to try it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hockey” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
