ボールが好きです
bōru ga suki desu
To say "I like balls" in Japanese, you use ボールが好きです (bōru ga suki desu).
This phrase is used to express a fondness for spherical objects used in sports or games.
What does it mean word for word?
The word ボール (bōru) is a loanword from the English word 'ball'.
Which one should you use?
Using ボールが好きだ instead of the polite ending makes the statement feel informal or blunt.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, the particle が (ga) is used to mark the object of affection, rather than the particle を (wo) which is more common for direct objects.
How do you pronounce it?
bōru ga suki desu
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the word 好き (suki) is technically an adjective meaning 'likable' rather than a verb meaning 'to like'.
- While ボール is a loanword, the Japanese word for 'baseball' is 野球 (yakyū), which literally translates to 'field ball game'.
- Because ボール is a phonetic loan, it can sometimes be confused with the word ポール (pōru), which means 'pole'.
Examples in context
- すごくボールが好きです。I really like balls.
- 私はテニスボールが好きです。Watashi wa tenisu bōru ga suki desu.I like tennis balls.
- カラフルなボールが好きです。Karafuru na bōru ga suki desu.I like colorful balls.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking about their favorite toys.
- 結衣 Yui健太くんは、何で遊ぶのが好きですか？Kenta-kun wa, nande asobu no ga suki desu ka?Kenta, what do you like to play with?
- 健太 Kenta僕はボールが好きです。Boku wa bōru ga suki desu.I like balls.
- 結衣 Yuiサッカーボールのことですか？Sakkābōru no koto desu ka?Do you mean soccer balls?
- 健太 Kentaはい、そうです。Hai, sō desu.Yes, that's right.
